Lessons in Epic Storytelling
by penny1200
Summary: Annie finds the study group in greater chaos than usual. When they blame her for their behavior, Annie sets them down and tells them an epic love story that will reveal every single one of her deepest secrets.
1. The Starting Point

Spoilers: Anything up to and including the season three finale, 'Introduction to Finality'. In fact, several of the scenes in that episode's final montage will find their way into this story as I provide my own events that lead up to them.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. If I had any claim on Community, Abed would be all mine.

A/N: Okay, so I totally wasn't going to focus on fanfiction anymore, since my friends and family always point out what a waste of time it is (never mind that I _enjoy _writing it), but this plot has been nagging at me to the point where I'm actually having a hard time sleeping because I keep thinking of scenes and dialogue. So, for my own peace of mind, I have to get this out. It's my first Community fic, so I'll try to keep everyone in character as best I can, allowing for character growth, of course. It should be noted that I love both the Annie/Abed and Annie/Jeff pairings, so there will be a lot of both in this story. I will also be using a 'Princess Bride', if you will, story framing device as a bit of an experiment in my writing. If any fandom is perfect for experimentation, it's Community. To cut down on confusion, I will label each segment of the story with when it occurs, and all framing sections will be headed by 'Study Room, Present Day'. Please read and review! Thanks!

Chapter One: The Starting Point

_Study Room  
Present Day_

Annie Edison came to a halt in the study room door. Mouth gaping open slightly, she surveyed the scene in front of her. Taking in the positions of the rest of the study group members, her eyebrows rose nearly to her hairline. She had only been in the bathroom for five minutes at the very most. How had things slid, no -_ avalanched_- downhill so quickly?

Britta was on the floor on top of what appeared to be Jeff, who had his hands up to cover his face. There was good reason for that, of course, because the blonde was raining blows down on the considerably larger man, and everyone knew that Jeff was extra protective of his looks. Since his face was hidden, it could have just as easily been Pierce on the receiving end of Britta's wrath, but he was still in his regular chair. Plus, his hair wasn't as perfectly mussed.

As surprising as it was, the sight of Britta beating up Jeff was hardly the most interesting one in the noisy room, Annie realized as her eyes slid over them to Shirley. The mother of three was standing above the pair on the ground, wielding her large purse as if it were a deadly weapon. Based on the loud shriek that Britta let out when she took a blow to the side, it was.

"Watch where you're aiming that thing!" the blonde yelled without taking her eyes off of Jeff.

"I wouldn't hit you if you'd move and give me a clear shot at Jeffrey," the other woman responded in her sternest tone.

"That wouldn't be as much fun," Britta got out between grunts at the effort of keeping the struggling Jeff on the floor.

"Get off of me, Britta!" Jeff yelled before again covering his face as protection from her renewed blows.

Extremely confused, Annie could only stare at the three for a moment. She had only been gone for five minutes! What could Jeff have possibly done in that time to drive the other two women to violence?

"I know people!"

Pierce's voice cut through the racket Britta, Shirley, and Jeff were making. Curious, Annie turned her gaze to the older man. He was glaring angrily in the direction of the other three.

"I have money and I know people who'll do things for it," he reiterated. "I don't care how gay you are."

Annie let out a small groan at the sheer inappropriateness of the comment, also a clear sign that Pierce's anger was aimed at Jeff.

The sound of sniffling caught her attention, and she looked toward the sound. Troy was standing next to Shirley's chair, a phone clutched, clearly forgotten, in his hand. Tears were running down his cheeks. Honestly, with the way the others were behaving, it was no surprise that Troy had started sobbing. It was pretty much his go-to reaction when their group fought (or when he was confused or happy or angry...).

"Oh, stop crying, you baby!" Pierce snapped when Troy let out a particularly loud wail.

"But I don't know whether to be happy or mad!" he howled.

Annie was officially thoroughly bewildered. Desperate to make sense of the situation, she turned to the last group member - the one who could almost always be counted on to act as the voice of reason or to at least know everything that was happening with everyone.

Of course, since she seriously need his help, Abed was gazing straight ahead in a catatonic state.

She stared in dismay at the pop culture genius before shaking her head. Okay, she was obviously the one who would have to get things back to normal. The first thing she needed to do was get their attention. Slipping two fingers into her mouth, she let out a loud whistle.

At the shrill sound, everyone else quieted down and focused on her. Nervous to find herself so suddenly the center of attention, Annie twisted her hands together.

"You broke Abed," she blurted out suddenly, gesturing at the man who still hadn't moved.

Britta climbed off of Jeff and pointed at Annie.

"Nuh-uh. _You _broke Abed," she rebutted, storming over to stand in front of Annie. "This whole thing is all your fault."

Annie took a step back.

"My fault? How can it be my fault? I wasn't even here when you all decided to lose your minds!" she protested.

"We know your secret!" Britta declared.

Annie snapped her mouth shut as that statement gave her pause. Which secret did they know? She was keeping so many at the moment and any one of them could have set the others off. If they knew her main secret and how it came to be, that would certainly explain both Jeff's beating and Abed's catatonia.

"You know?" she finally asked quietly.

As the others nodded, Annie felt like she was going to throw up. She took in the anger in Britta, Shirley, and Pierce's expressions, the tears still trailing down Troy's conflicted face. Jeff was paler than she'd ever seen him and nursing a rapidly bruising eye. Abed was still catatonic. Annie sighed.

"You should all sit down. I have a story to tell you," she announced.

"Ooh! Story time!" Troy said excitedly, tears clearing up instantly, before scrambling for his chair.

Annie and Britta shared a small smile at his enthusiasm before Britta's died and she took her seat. Shirley and Jeff were quick to follow her example.

"Is it a dirty story?" Pierce questioned.

"Pierce!" Annie called with exasperation.

"I was just asking," he grumbled at Troy, who was leaning forward eagerly, gaze focused on Annie.

Ignoring Pierce, Annie closed her eyes briefly. If she was going to tell this story, she would need help from the one person who was currently unreachable. Walking past Britta's chair, Annie bent down near Abed so that her face was level with his. Reaching out, she cupped his cheeks with her hands and gently turned his head to face her.

"Abed," she said in a soft voice. "Come on, Abed, it's time to wake up. I need you."

Stroking her right thumb along his cheekbone, she kept her eyes on his. She watched as the blankness bled out to be replaced by the intelligence that she was so used to seeing in them.

"Annie?" he asked. "When did you get back?"

She smiled at him. "I'm going to tell everyone a story, Abed. I might need your help."

Annie watched his eyes widen slightly in surprise before his expression settled into its usual neutrality.

"Right. This kind of plot revelation is usually reserved for sweeps, but then again..." he trailed off thoughtfully.

Now that Abed was back to normal, Annie straightened up and walked back to her own chair.

"As weird as that little interlude was," Jeff snarked, pulling his phone out of his pocket, "you mind getting to the point? Some of us would like to go home before graduation."

Annie narrowed her eyes at Jeff. "Fine." She gazed around the table at the other group members. "I'll try to hurry this along, but it's kind of a long story."

Sitting straight in her chair, Annie considered the best way to start.

ooooo

_Saturday, August 18, 2012_

Once upon a time...

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Oh, come on, Annie," Jeff interrupted. "You can't start the story with 'once upon a time'."

Annie scowled. "Why not? It's a perfectly legitimate opening. It's been used in countless fairy tales."

"For one, we're at Greendale. That's hardly the right setting for a fairy tale," he explained.

Britta nodded. "He's right. If this were a fairy tale, we'd all be in a castle right now and Abed would be a wooden puppet that was made into a real boy."

"There are no castles in Pinocchio," Abed pointed out.

"Really not the point," Britta rebutted.

"Annie, sweetie, I think what they're trying to say is that you are not a princess even if you do have Disney princess eyes. So your story really shouldn't start with 'once upon a time'," Shirley elaborated in her sugary sweet voice.

"She has a tiara. Does that count?" Pierce asked.

"I gave that back to you," Annie reminded him.

Pierce waved her off. "It's still yours. It's even in my will."

Annie was stunned to hear that.

"Awe, Pierce," she cooed.

Sometimes he did sweet things like that and she forgot why everyone was so frequently annoyed with him.

"But you can't start your story with 'once upon a time'. Your boobs are too big to be a fairy tale princess," he continued.

Right. That was why.

"Pierce!"

The name was chorused around the table.

Annie sighed.

"Okay, fine. No 'once upon a time'. Umm..."

ooooo

_Saturday, August 18, 2012_

It all started at...

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"What is this? A class in the most cliche ways to start telling a story?" Jeff interrupted once again.

"Would you all be quiet? You're ruining story time!" Troy burst, finally breaking his patient silence.

Annie glared at Jeff. "Do you want to tell this story?"

He glared right back at her before finally ducking his head to check his phone again.

"I don't know the story," he muttered in defeat.

"That's because it's _my _story," she emphasized. "So I will tell it how I want, but I'm not going to get anywhere if you keep interrupting me."

"Fine. Proceed," Jeff offered without taking his eyes off his phone.

"Ugh," Annie murmured in disgust at his arrogance before turning her attention to the others. "As I was saying..."

ooooo

_Saturday, August 18, 2012_

It all started at the end of summer.

Annie was curled up in Abed's recliner in the living room, the course book for the upcoming year clutched in her hands. She was pouring over the class options. She was well aware that she was wasting her time, but she couldn't help herself. Her schedule was already set for her final year at Greendale; there was no changing it now. That didn't stop her from obsessing that she had chosen the wrong electives. What if Sociology wasn't beneficial to her future career in the health industry? What if The Effects of Pop Culture on Human Culture was the class that would finally tear the group apart? What if everyone found out that she was taking Intro to Psychology and started calling her _Britta_?

Luckily before the panic could set in fully, there was a loud bang of something heavy hitting the wall in the Dreamatorium. The noise dragged her out of her worries.

Despite the relative quiet of the apartment, Annie wasn't alone. Troy, who had been officially dating Britta since the end of July, hadn't come home the previous night. Since they'd gone out to dinner and a movie that night, it didn't take a genius to figure out where Troy had stayed. Abed had spent the night at home, rewatching season eight of Inspector Spacetime, while Annie scanned the internet for the best deals on school supplies. When they had woken up this morning to find that Troy still wasn't home, Abed had escaped to the Dreamatorium. He had been in there all morning.

Annie wasn't sure what he was doing in there, but she kept hearing the occasional thud as he or one of his props hit the wall, so she would put her money on some sort of superhero scenario. Or maybe Star Wars. If he was pretending to be Han right now, then did that mean he needed a Leia?

Blushing slightly at the way her heart sped up at the thought, Annie stared down at the book in her hands. Another thump drew her gaze to the Dreamatorium door. Even if he wasn't Han right now, whatever he was doing had to be much more interesting than reading through the curriculum book for the twentieth time. She had just set the book aside and stood up when the apartment door opened and Troy and Britta entered.

Annie jumped guiltily and then immediately chastised herself for the feeling. There was absolutely no reason why she should feel guilty for wanting to join Abed in the Dreamatorium. Pushing the thought aside, she smiled at her extremely happy-looking friends.

"Hi!" she greeted them perkily. "How was the movie?"

"It was awesome!" Troy enthused. "There were lots of explosions, guns, karate, and blood. Is Abed in the Dreamatorium?"

When Annie nodded, Troy ran off to join him. As soon as the door shut, Annie turned to Britta.

"So how was the movie, really?"

The blonde shook her head.

"A complete waste of money. It was your typical Hollywood misogynistic crap where the females are only there to serve as sex objects and props so the men can congratulate themselves for being the big, strong heroes that saved the weak, helpless women. Oh, how I've wanted to say that since we left the theater," Britta sighed out in relief before shrugging. "But Troy liked it, so..."

Annie smiled. "So you really like him, don't you?"

Britta nodded, a happy grin on her face. "I really do."

As a melancholy feeling settled over Annie in the face of her friend's joy, she curled back into Abed's recliner.

Although Annie didn't understand why, every time she was faced with Troy and Britta together, she couldn't help the sadness that washed over her. It made no sense. She hadn't had feelings for Troy in over two years, and she and Britta had long ago set aside any Jeff-caused tension between them. There simply wasn't any point to it anymore since Britta was with Troy and Annie's feelings for Jeff had cooled considerably. So, Annie didn't know why she felt this way. She had even set them up on their first date!

"Have you talked to Jeff since the final?" Britta asked, having clearly noticed the change in Annie's mood.

"Huh?" the brunette mumbled, looking up at her friend.

Britta settled into Troy's recliner.

"Have you talked to Jeff since the final?" she repeated.

Annie nodded.

"We've texted a few times. We ate lunch together once too, but that was only because we ran into each other at the restaurant."

"So, what's going on with you two? Things have seemed different ever since..." she trailed off.

"Ever since when?" Annie asked curiously.

"This is going to sound really conceited, Jeff conceited as a matter of fact, but you and Jeff have been different since my first date with Troy," she admitted.

That made sense. That was the same day that she had gone into the Dreamatorium with Abed for the first time. She had taught him empathy and he had taught her that she had spent years chasing the idea of being loved by Jeff instead of actually chasing Jeff. She had finally had to face the fact that she didn't actually love Jeff like she had thought she did. While the revelation had been a bit of a relief because it meant she no longer had to worry about his constant rejection, she also felt like she had lost something that had made her life exciting. She didn't tell Britta any of that though.

"Please don't go all psych major on me," she pleaded instead.

Britta quickly hid the disappointment in her expression.

"I'm not just a psych major; I'm also your friend, Annie. You can talk to me."

Annie shook her head. "There's nothing going on with Jeff and I. I'm just growing up," she finished quietly.

Britta clearly wanted to talk about it more, but at that moment the Dreamatorium door was thrown open and the boys joined them.

"And the way that one henchman went down when you threw the Bat signal at him!" Troy was gushing. "That was awesome, man!"

Abed frowned slightly. "Yes, but now I have to buy a new Bat signal. That won't be cheap."

Annie let out a small giggle at how serious he looked. Sometimes she simply couldn't help but laugh at how invested Abed always got in his Dreamatorium scenarios. In response, he settled his unblinking gaze on her.

"Don't think I've forgotten that you still owe me for that blaster you broke," he admonished in a monotone before turning to Troy. "She thought she could take down a Blorgon by throwing the blaster at it."

As Troy started laughing, Annie blushed in embarrassment as she recalled her last visit to the Dreamatorium with Abed.

"I told you that I just panicked," she stated loudly over Troy's laughter. "I didn't _actually_ think I could kill it by _throwing _the gun at it."

When Annie caught sight of Britta shaking her head in disbelief, she realized that she had once again let Abed drag her into his reality-ignoring world.

"Hmm," Abed hummed, staring at her unflinchingly in a way that silently stated he didn't believe her.

Britta cleared her throat. The noise made Annie break eye contact with Abed as they both faced the woman.

"Hi, Britta," Abed acknowledged her.

"Hi, Abed," she replied with a smile before turning serious. "Troy and I have something that we need to discuss with you and Annie."

When Britta's expression became thoughtful, as if searching for the correct words, Annie started to worry. What could be so serious that Britta would put so much consideration into it?

"We're moving in together!" Troy blurted out.

Annie's first reaction was, _yes, that would be serious enough_. Her second was to whip her head in Abed's direction to see how he was taking the announcement.

He hadn't gone catatonic so that was a good sign. Instead, his head was cocked to one side as he considered Troy's words. Maybe this would go more smoothly than Annie initially expected.

"Well, Britta," he finally uttered, "I suppose we could replace Annie's bed with a bunk bed for you."

Or maybe it really wouldn't.

"Um, Abed," Annie began hesitantly, "I kind of think that Troy and Britta plan to share a room."

"Oh."

And then the wailing started. Whenever he was especially freaked out, Abed would wail at the top of his lungs in a way that reminded her of air raid sirens. If they didn't stop him soon, he would fall into a catatonic state that would take hours to get him out of. Following the process that she had learned this spring when Daylight Savings Time began, she sprung out of her chair. She crossed in front of Britta so that she could push Abed into his recliner, and then she seated herself on the arm. Leaning over, she wrapped her own arms around his shoulders tightly and rested her cheek on top of his silky dark hair.

"It'll be okay," she whispered. "Abed, it'll be okay. If you just calm down, we can figure this out and fix it."

She didn't know if she was getting through to him. She still wasn't the expert on Abed freak-outs that Troy was. Unwilling to move her head just in case she was comforting him, she searched out Troy with her eyes. He was arguing with Britta, likely over the abrupt way in which he had made their announcement. That meant it was up to her to calm down Abed and her current approach wasn't working. Completely lost, she lifted her head and let go of him.

Deciding to try something different, Annie cupped his face and turned him toward her. She tried not to flinch at the loud howling coming out of his mouth so close to her own face.

"Abed, we need you to come back to us," she insisted over the noise. "Come on, Abed, come back to us."

It took another couple of minutes of reassurances, but Abed finally quieted down and focused his gaze on Annie.

"I'm okay," he promised her, raising an eyebrow.

It was only at that point that Annie realized that she was stroking her thumb along his cheekbone. Cheeks pink, she pulled her hands away from him and turned to Troy and Britta who were, thankfully, still arguing.

"Guys. Abed's back to normal and we're ready to discuss your exciting news."

Britta climbed out of the recliner and the two of them came to stand in front of Abed and Annie.

"Okay," the blonde began cautiously, her eyes darting warily to Abed every two seconds. "Troy and I are moving in together, and I _was _hoping I could move in here, Abed. But Annie's right - Troy and I need our own room."

Annie could feel her heart sinking as she immediately understood the implications of that statement. She was going to be homeless. There was no way that Abed wouldn't give Troy and Britta her room if it meant keeping Troy around. While she waited for them to reach the obvious conclusion, Annie started mentally calculating how much she could afford to spend on an apartment. She frowned as she realized the answer was not a lot. She wondered if her old place above Dildopolis was still available.

"But the only bedroom is Annie's," Abed reminded them.

Annie waited for him to put it together and figure out the only solution to the problem, so she was shocked by the next words he muttered.

"But there's also the Dreamatorium."

Stunned, Annie stared down at him. She wasn't sure that the others had even heard him, but she had.

"What was that, Abed?" Britta questioned. She obviously hadn't understood his words.

For a couple of minutes the only sound in the apartment was Abed's indecipherable mumbling as he undoubtedly ran through all of the possible move-in scenarios. Annie's nerves were on edge so she fisted the extra fabric of her pajama pants. How long would it take for him to reach the only logical conclusion that didn't mean losing his precious Dreamatorium?

"I have considered all possible scenarios," he finally broke the silence, "and the only one that doesn't darken the timeline is the one where I take down the Dreamatorium."

Annie gasped for a breath she hadn't even realized she was missing. He wasn't going to kick her out?

"All of the other scenarios require either Troy or Annie to move out," he concluded.

"If I moved out, it would darken the timeline?" Annie couldn't help but ask.

"Yes," Abed answered seriously, looking up at her where she still perched on the arm of his recliner.

She grinned. "Awe, Abed."

"So you're really taking down the Dreamatorium?" Troy asked, disappointment in his tone.

Abed nodded. "It's the only acceptable way to move the story forward."

"And you're really okay with Britta moving in here?" he pressed further.

"I am," Abed agreed, standing up.

"Awesome, man."

Annie was happy that she wouldn't have to move out, but as she watched Abed and Troy exchange their signature chest handshake, she was sure she saw a flash of sadness in his eyes.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Britta broke in when Annie paused in her story to get a drink of water. "You can't possibly blame your secret on me moving in."

"Wow, Britta," Jeff said with a smirk, his phone laying on the table forgotten as he listened to Annie's story. "You britta'd Annie's life. That's pretty bad even for you."

Annie frowned. "My life isn't britta'd. In fact, I'm really happy right now. Well, maybe not at this very moment..."

"You thought I would kick you out?" Abed asked, breaking the silence that had fallen when her voice faded away.

Ashamed, Annie nodded. "I never thought you'd choose to take down the Dreamatorium. You did try to move me into the blanket fort when I first moved in, after all, because you preferred the Dreamatorium to me."

"We tried to move you into the blanket fort because it's awesome," Troy argued. "Do you know how long we worked to set that up for you?"

Surprised, Annie considered that for a moment.

"I never really thought about it like that," she admitted.

"This story's boring. It needs more nudity," Pierce announced suddenly.

"Hush, Pierce," Shirley scolded before turning her attention to Annie. "I still don't understand what Britta living in sin with Troy has to do with your secret."

Annie still wasn't sure which secret everyone was talking about, but she knew that all of the ones she was currently keeping had sprung out of Britta's move-in and the destruction of the Dreamatorium.

She sighed. "I warned you that it was a long story."

A/N 2: I fully believe that Abed must have had an offscreen wailing breakdown when Troy had to move out after joining the AC school, so I had to include it here. Also, when Annie tells her story, you, the reader, see it as a flashback. The study group receives the same information in first person story format. There will be times when you, the reader, get considerably more detail than the study group receives due to the flashback format, but I'll try to make those sections clear in the following present day framing segment. Finally, I won't be putting a date on the present day segments until the very end of the story. I don't want to limit the length of time that Annie's story has to fit into. Just know that the present day sections are set sometime during their fourth year prior to May. Sorry for the super long A/N; there shouldn't be many as long as this one in the future now that the fic's format is established and, hopefully, sufficiently explained in a fairly clear way.


	2. Preparations

Spoilers: Anything up to and including the season three finale, 'Introduction to Finality'. In fact, several of the scenes in that episode's final montage will find their way into this story as I provide my own events that lead up to them.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. If I had any claim on Community, Abed would be all mine.

A/N: So, I'm really enjoying writing this story; it's been a long time since I was this excited over writing something. I would like to thank The Alternative Source, Trewyn the Easily Distracted, dancingt21, and Scheherazade Bet. Your reviews gave me encouragement to keep working on this story by letting me know that this story was worth continuing. I hope anyone who is reading enjoys this chapter. I cannot stress how much drive reviews give me to continue writing, although I'll never withhold a chapter due to a lack of them. Please read and review! Thanks!

Chapter Two: Preparations

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"There's something about your story that's bugging me, Annie," Troy announced shortly after her reiterated warning.

Annie twisted in her chair slightly to face him, but he wasn't looking at her. His focus was on Abed.

"If you were sad about giving up the Dreamatorium, why did you do it?"

"I already told you. Anything else would darken the timeline," Abed stated matter-of-factly.

Annie bit back a grin. She, of course, knew just as well as Troy and Britta that Abed hadn't said a permanent goodbye to the Dreamatorium. Still, his sacrifice of the full-size one definitely counted, especially in Troy's eyes.

"I have a complaint," Pierce said loudly.

Annie cut him off, formidable face in place. "I'm sorry, Pierce, but I am _not_adding nudity to the story just for you."

"That's not what I was going to say," he denied, although his expression was crestfallen. "I still want to know why gay and gayer get to live with big boobs and blonde boobs. It's not fair. I'm the rich one with my own mansion."

Annie pulled her cardigan tighter around her and noticed Britta doing the same with her jacket.

"Troy is not gay," Britta pointed out, arms crossed over her chest. Troy beamed at her.

"Neither is Abed," Annie felt compelled to add, fighting back her blush.

She attempted to ignore the suspicious stares that Jeff and Shirley aimed at her for her response.

"Okay, you," Jeff began, pointing at Pierce, "are no longer allowed to talk. And you," he continued, gesturing at Annie, "should get on with the story so we can get out of here."

Annie nodded her agreement. It was difficult enough sharing such personal memories, thoughts, and feelings with everyone. She really didn't want to drag it out any longer than she had to.

After a pause to gather her thoughts, she picked up where she had left off.

"Nothing very interesting happened during the last week of summer. Troy helped Britta pack, and Britta officially terminated her lease. There was the Office Max incident, and then we met back in the study room on the first day of classes..."

ooooo

_Monday, August 27, 2012_

"Again, we are really, really sorry, Annie," Troy apologized for the tenth time that day.

Ignoring him, Annie took her usual seat next to Shirley's empty chair. They were the first ones to arrive in the study room.

"How could we have known that he wouldn't appreciate the parody genius of Kung Fu Hustle?" Abed questioned, sitting down in his normal chair.

"That's not the point!" Annie snapped. "Mature adults don't run around throwing scissors at each other! I would expect even you two to keep something like that in the apartment."

Troy and Abed exchanged a thoughtful look and Annie realized her mistake.

"Not that I'm endorsing throwing sharp objects around!" she added, hoping to put a kibosh on any ideas before they were fully formed.

Luckily, Britta and Shirley chose that moment to enter the room. The blonde dropped a kiss on Troy's lips, distracting him, before sitting down. Shirley settled into her own chair, smiling in greeting at Annie. When she caught sight of the younger woman's face, the corners of her lips turned down.

"What's wrong, pumpkin? Your face is awfully red."

"Yeah," Britta chipped in. "I'm sensing a lot of tension in this room." She glanced between Troy and Abed. "What did you two do to Annie?" she queried as Jeff and Pierce filed in.

Troy shrunk back from his girlfriend's question.

"Go on. Tell her what you did," Annie urged, a wicked smile on her lips. Maybe she should feel bad that they were going to be in trouble, but they _deserved_it after what they had cost her.

Troy responded to Britta's questioning by mumbling something indistinguishable and then sinking as low in his chair as he physically could.

Britta looked confused. "What?"

"He said, 'Abed and I used scissors as throwing knives and got Annie banned from Office Max'," Abed repeated helpfully.

The reactions from the rest of the group were so highly varied that Annie had to bite her lip not to laugh. She didn't want to laugh. She was angry, darn it!

"Throwing knives?" Shirley asked, bewildered.

"What movie was it?" Pierce questioned, apparently on top of things for once.

"You have got to be kidding me," Jeff muttered, pulling out his phone, his annoyance clear.

"Wait," Britta finally contributed. "You two were throwing scissors? In a public place? With other people around?"

The boys nodded, Troy's face fearful and Abed's blank.

"And now I'm banned from Office Max just because I was with them!" Annie burst out so that everyone would understand the true tragedy of the previous day's events.

"That's the part that bothers you?" Jeff asked incredulously, glancing up. "_Not_the part where they threw sharp objects at each other in public?"

Agitated that no one understood the severity of her situation, Annie threw her hands in the air in exasperation.

"They're grown men who should know better. If they hurt themselves, it's their own fault. But I didn't do anything! I don't deserve to be banned!" she explained, gesturing frantically in her effort to make her point.

When she quieted down, she realized that every one of her friends was staring at her as if she was the one who'd been caught throwing scissors around. Even Abed had his head tilted to the side as he considered her, a sure sign that he was interested in her behavior. She fought back a blush of embarrassment and sternly reminded herself that she had every right to be outraged right now.

"What in the hell is so freaking special about Office Max?" Jeff finally questioned, breaking the silence.

"They sell the best highlighters."

"That's it? That's why you're freaking out?"

She met his skeptical gaze head on. "You don't understand, Jeff. These highlighters last twice as long as any other kind that I've ever tried, and they don't do that thing where they barely write, leaving white spots where the color should be."

"Muffin?" Shirley hedged cautiously. "You could always buy them elsewhere. There are plenty of stores in town that sell highlighters."

"But these highlighters are a store brand," Annie whined. "I can't get them anywhere but Office Max."

"So order them online," Jeff suggested.

"I can't afford the shipping charges!" Annie wailed, her voice nearly as high-pitched as Abed's when he was in air siren mode.

Pierce, who had been mostly blissfully silent so far, nudged the still scrunched down Troy's arm.

"I think you and Abed broke Annie."

"I'm not broken!" she objected loudly, wincing slightly when her pitch was somewhere near dogs only range. She cleared her throat. "I'm just broke."

She was pleased that her voice was much more normal that time. Her satisfaction didn't last long when Britta leaned toward her intently. Annie flinched back; she knew Britta's psych major face far too well.

"Annie, perhaps we should discuss your dependence on highlighters. I would be more than happy to set up a session with you after I finish with Abed's tonight," she offered, concern shining in her eyes.

Annie averted her gaze to the window into the library, watching vacantly as Neil walked by, struggling under a tall stack of books. Britta's words had hit her harder than she wanted any of them to know. Talk of dependence, even if it was on highlighters...it reminded her more strongly of her adderall days than she was comfortable with. What if Britta was right? What if Annie was so focused on grades and studying that they had taken over her life as surely as adderall had in high school? But those were good things, right? It couldn't be addiction if the alleged vices were beneficial to her life, could it? Even if she was focused on them to the exclusion of nearly everything else, fun and friends included.

"Scissors make bad throwing knives, anyway."

Abed's practical voice broke Annie out of her thoughts. When his random observation set the rest of the group to alternately chastising him and Troy for their irresponsible behavior and guessing which movie they had been reenacting, Annie felt a sense of relief wash over her. Happy to no longer be the center of attention, she met Abed's gaze, wanting to express her gratefulness for his intervention even if he didn't understand that he had helped her.

She was taken aback to find him completely ignoring the chaos that he had set off. Instead, he had his head tilted to the side once again, staring at her with an unnerving intensity. Unsettled, Annie looked away, focusing in on the conversation around her.

Abed always saw far too much.

Once the noise had died down with a final threat of purse beatings from Shirley if she ever again heard that they had done something so stupid, Britta cleared her throat.

"Troy and I have an announcement."

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Why are you telling us this?" Jeff interjected, taking no notice of Troy's pained groan. "We were all there. Your highlighter mental breakdown was disturbing enough that I'm sure we all remember it clearly."

Annie frowned, mulling over her response. What answer could she give him that wouldn't reveal too much of the story too soon?

"I think I understand," Britta stated.

"Me too," Troy added.

"She's asking for our help," Britta declared as Troy said, "She's still mad at us."

Grinning, Annie shook her head. "It's neither of those things. I'm not really sure what I can say..."

"It will be relevant later," Abed asserted, breaking off her sentence.

Jeff leveled Abed with the same distrustful stare that he had cast at Annie earlier.

"How do you know that?"

Abed met his gaze levelly. "It's a common storytelling device. The director introduces seemingly insignificant information early on only for it to be important later. It's called Chekhov's gun and is seen in many works of fiction. Annie is smart enough to apply it correctly."

Honestly, Annie wasn't thinking in such strict terms when she had started recalling their first study session of the school year. It had just seemed like the next logical step in her story. Still, she didn't want to appear uneducated, so she nodded her agreement with Abed's words.

"Now, where was I?" she wondered aloud. "Oh, right..."

ooooo

_Monday, August 27, 2012_

"Troy and I have an announcement."

Britta beamed around the table at the rest of the group while Troy pulled himself back up to his normal sitting height.

"Oh, sweetie, please don't tell me that you're pregnant," Shirley pleaded. "The two of you aren't even married."

"What?" Britta asked, startled, as Troy let out a strange sound somewhere between a gulp and a squeak. "No, no, just no. Nothing like that - this is good news."

"So you're not pregnant?" Troy questioned in a high pitched voice.

"I'm not," Britta reassured him in a confident tone. "You know what our announcement is, Troy. We discussed this last night."

"Ohhhh," Troy drew out the word in realization. "You mean how we were going to tell the study group that you're moving into our apartment?"

"Yes, Troy, that," Britta confirmed, dropping her head into her hand in exasperation. "And you clearly need assistance with your blurting problem."

Annie couldn't help the grin that crawled across her face as she watched the two of them, even through the usual stab of melancholy. They really were good together. She didn't know anyone else who would have so much patience with Troy's antics. And she was certain that no one else would take Britta's frequent, well, britta'ing as well as Troy. She just hoped that the rest of the group could see that.

"Will you be sharing Annie's room, Britta?" Shirley asked sweetly, a steely glint to her eyes.

Britta gulped nervously, and Troy once again sunk down in his chair until only his eyes and forehead were visible.

"No," the blonde said in a firm tone that belied the anxiety on her face. "Abed is taking down the Dreamatorium, and Troy and I will share that room."

"So the two of you are choosing to live in sin?"

Annie winced at the sound of Shirley's voice. She was using the tone that suggested she had a scolding speech brewing that she was about to unleash on her unfortunate victim. Annie was very glad that she wasn't on the receiving end of it.

"Yes," Britta stated defiantly. She always responded to Shirley's judging rebelliously, whereas Annie always tried to appease the older woman.

While Shirley launched into her lecture about the hazards of premarital sex and the likelihood that Britta and Troy would go to hell for sure if they moved in together, Annie glanced at Jeff. She was curious to see what he thought since Britta was his ex, well, not girlfriend, but _something_non-platonic (lover would probably work, but she detested that word). She was slightly surprised to find that he was playing on his phone, a small smile on his lips.

"Are you okay with this?" she whispered, leaning toward him.

He looked up. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

She cocked her head to one side. "It's just that you and Britta..."

"Annie," he cut her off. "There's no me and Britta. There was barely a me and Britta when we were having sex. If she's happy with Troy, then I'm happy for her."

While he turned his attention back to his phone, Annie studied him for any of the classic signs that he was lying, but she didn't see any. He just looked sincere, and while he was good at faking that expression, she didn't think he was this time. She grinned at him.

"What?" he asked, casting her an irritated glance.

She shook her head. "It's nothing."

As they kept eye contact, Annie felt the familiar sensation of sinking into his blue eyes. It was times like these where she remembered why she had thought she was in love with Jeff and why she had so desperately wanted him to love her back.

"Why do they get to live with big boobs and blonde boobs?" Pierce questioned over Shirley's scolding.

And just like that, the moment was broken.

Once Shirley had calmed down, they settled into a tense ten minutes of studying the notes that Annie had taken on chapter one of their textbook over the past week. They hadn't yet been to their first class, but she had convinced them that it would be a good idea to read the first chapter in preparation. Since it was a class on pop culture, Abed was actually dominating the conversation. That wasn't a surprise to Annie - he was more knowledgeable on the subject than anyone she had ever met. It also undoubtedly helped that, according to Annie's observations, no one else had actually bothered to read the chapter like they had promised to.

"Well, this was useless," Jeff announced, climbing to his feet at the end of the study session.

"I think I need a nap," Pierce declared. He looked strained from the sheer number of facts that Abed had thrown out over the last several minutes.

"We'll see you guys, later," Troy said, circling his arm around Britta's shoulders and leading her out of the room.

Jeff and Pierce were quick to follow. Annie watched their hurried movements with narrowed eyes.

"Actually go to class, you two!" she called at their escaping backs.

"Coming?" Abed asked Annie from his spot waiting by the door.

She gave him a bright smile. "Of course."

Annie and Abed had enrolled in the same Major World Religions class. He claimed that it would enhance any of his movies that involved a religious theme. She was just trying to take as many classes as she could that would help her relate to people, given her chosen field.

"Annie, may I talk to you privately?" Shirley requested.

Annie really didn't want to get into it with Shirley over Troy and Britta's decision, but she couldn't just say no.

"Go ahead, Abed. I'll be there in a minute."

Once he had disappeared, she turned her attention to Shirley.

"I'm not going to try to talk Britta out of moving in," she opened just to head off any requests of that nature.

Shirley shook her head. "I wasn't going to ask you to do that. You can't worry about their souls, not when you have your own to worry about, thanks to your pagan religion."

Annie scowled. If Shirley kept going in this vein, then she would leave, rude or not.

"I actually have an offer to make you," the other woman stated. "As you know, my sandwich shop opens next week."

Annie's mood quickly lightened and she gave Shirley a large smile.

"I know and I'm so excited for you!"

Shirley nodded quickly, but her brow was creased in a frown.

"Is there something wrong?" Annie inquired with concern. "You know that I'll help if I can."

The other woman's forehead smoothed out with those words.

"As a matter of fact, Annie," she started, "I'm looking for an additional employee. I need someone that I can trust to man the shop during the evening shift. I know that Subway closed at five, but Pierce pointed out that they missed a lucrative opportunity by doing so. The library is open until eight, so there are students, hungry students, around until then."

"So you're leaving your shop open until eight?"

"Yes. But, as I said, I need someone I can trust to run the place from five to eight and then close down afterward Monday through Friday. You were the first person I thought of."

Annie was touched. When Shirley needed someone she could count on, her first thought was of Annie? That was very sweet, and certainly more than she expected given their religious contentions. She frowned as an unhappy thought hit her.

"I'm pleased that you feel that way, Shirley, but I just don't know if I'll have the time. It's my last year here, I have a full course load, and I plan to join several different clubs. Plus, I'm already coordinating the fifth rally to save Garrett."

"But, Annie," Shirley beseeched, "the sandwich shop is my dream. You're the only one I can trust with something so important. I need your help."

Annie sighed. How could she possibly turn down such a heartfelt request from one of her best friends?

"Well," she hedged, "I suppose I don't have to join as many extra-curriculars, and I could always turn the rally over to Rich."

"So you'll do it?" Shirley asked hopefully.

"Yes, I'll do it," Annie agreed reluctantly.

"Oh, thank you so much, pumpkin," Shirley said gratefully. "And, don't worry. You'll get something out of it, too. Your wage is nine dollars an hour, and Dean Pelton is offering one credit for each semester that you work."

Much happier upon hearing that even if it didn't make a whole lot of sense (really, the dean treated credits like party favors), Annie excused herself. She didn't want to be late for class on the very first day.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Why did you give her the job?" Jeff questioned, turning on Shirley. "I've actually held a steady job; she's never worked."

"A job you lied your way into," Shirley pointed out. "I couldn't trust you with my dream, Jeffrey."

"But..." he protested.

Annie was tired of having her story interrupted, so she decided to intervene before they could draw the argument out any further.

"How long would it have taken you to get irritated with working a service job?" she began. "Honestly, Jeff, you know that you would have quit as soon as you realized that it required actual work with the general public telling you what to do."

Maybe the words were harsh, but she knew that they were also true. Yes, Jeff had changed a lot from the man who lied his way into a job with an elite law firm, but the cynical slacker in him was still very much alive.

"But with those credits, I could have dropped my painting class," he griped.

Britta jumped in. "Jeff, you only took that class because you thought it was a blow off where you'd get to paint nude models."

"He did paint a nude model," Abed reminded them.

"But I doubt Leonard was the model he expected when he signed up," Troy stated, snickering.

"I'm not so sure about that," Pierce said, laughter in his own voice.

"I told you not to talk," Jeff growled at him harshly.

"The point," Annie spoke loudly to draw their attention back to her, "is that Shirley needed someone who would stick with the job no matter what, and that was apparently me."

Silence fell over the study group for several seconds before Britta broke it.

"You know, I always wondered why you took that job when you already had so much else going on."

"I knew."

Six pairs of eyes snapped to Abed.

"You did?" Annie asked.

He gave one succinct nod. "You spoke with Shirley that morning and you told me about the job that night. It was a logical conclusion that she had asked you to take it."

When he put it that way, it did seem like common sense.

"What happened next, Annie?" Shirley questioned.

"Well..."

ooooo

_Friday, August 31, 2012_

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Annie was standing in the doorway to the Dreamatorium with Abed, leaning against one side. Abed stood stiffly in the center, his shoulder barely brushing hers.

It was early evening on the day that Annie had been dreading. Britta was moving in tomorrow, which meant that they needed to take down the Dreamatorium tonight. Troy was at Britta's helping her finish up any last minute packing, so that left Annie to help Abed. She just prayed they would get through this without him experiencing a complete mental break. By the time she finally asked that question, they had been standing there for about five minutes, Abed completely still.

"Yes," he answered.

The word was right, but there was a slight inflection to the tone that was all wrong. If Annie had been a gambler, she would have put money on the fact that Abed was extremely upset at the moment. She felt her stomach knot with worry. Forcing Abed to do something that he didn't want to never worked out well. And even though this was his idea, he had been under duress when he suggested it. Straightening, Annie walked into the room. Coming to a stop in the center, she turned around to face Abed, who was staring ahead at the wall.

"You don't have to tear down the Dreamatorium. I could always move out," she offered timidly. "There were always openings in my old neighborhood."

She didn't want to mention that was because of the high crime rate and loud nightly announcements driving most residents from the vicinity within months of moving in. She wanted to give Abed a way out of a situation that he clearly hated, so she put on her formidable face.

"Living there wasn't completely awful," she said strongly, trying to convince herself of her words. "I learned a lot of new things." She grimaced at the thought of just exactly what kinds of things she had learned before banishing the expression. "I always had the TV to myself, and the espresso at Dildopolis was surprisingly good."

As she spoke, Abed's eyes slid from the wall to focus on her face. He was watching her closely, and Annie was sure that he could see her reluctance even though she was trying very hard to keep it off of her face. He seemed to be listening intently, though, so she continued.

"I also have a job now, so in a few months, maybe I could save up enough to move somewhere better."

When she said it, she realized that it was a true statement. She could possibly find her own place now that she had an actual income outside of her student loans. It would be her chance to escape the insanity that came with living with Abed and Troy (and she could only imagine what Britta was going to add to the mix). The new idea should have been exciting, but for some reason, the knot in Annie's stomach grew tighter at the thought of living anywhere but here. She didn't want to influence Abed, though, so she kept her voice cheery.

"Studying would certainly be easier if I had my own place."

When Abed merely continued to stare at her, Annie quieted down. She counted a full thirty seconds that he watched her without blinking. Being the object of such intense scrutiny set Annie's nerves on edge, so she started fidgeting: tugging on the ends of her hair, pulling the bottom of her cardigan down nervously, and glancing around at anything but him.

"Do you want to move out?" Abed finally queried.

Surprised, Annie's eyes flew back to him. She wanted to tell him yes to make his decision easier, but she knew that he would see right through her lie. He probably already had or he wouldn't have even asked.

"No," she admitted honestly. "But I don't like seeing you in pain."

She watched a flash of some indiscernible emotion shoot through his dark eyes before he responded.

"Then don't move out."

With those words, Abed entered the room and began to tear the tape lines off the walls, completely ignoring Annie. She watched him for a minute, still taken aback by his words. Did he have any idea how they sounded to her? Surely not. He was probably just responding to the fact that she didn't want to leave. With that settled, Annie joined Abed in removing the lines.

She carefully ignored the way her heart was beating slightly faster than usual and the fact that the knot in her stomach had taken on a new kind of tension.

After an hour of working silently, Annie removed the last strip of tape in her section. Turning around, she saw that Abed had one piece left.

"I'm going to change so that we can paint," she announced.

She wanted to give him a moment alone to dismantle the Dreamatorium's inner workings that were kept in the closet. If it were her, she'd want the chance to say goodbye in private. Keeping that in mind, she took plenty of time to exchange her skirt, blouse, and cardigan for a pair of light blue pajama pants with little penguins on them and a white camisole. Since they had agreed to paint the room, Annie pulled her long, brown hair into a ponytail. Once she was sure that she had given Abed enough time, she gathered their painting supplies and entered the room.

Without the orange tape forming a grid on the walls and floor and the control panel now missing, the ex-Dreamatorium seemed eerily bare. Crossing to the wall opposite the door, Annie rubbed her finger over one of the darker lines of paint that indicated where the tape had been. Running her fingers along the wall, she moved to the open closet and stared inside. It too seemed oddly empty now that the paper tube contraption that Abed had used as his filtering system was no longer in place.

"I don't know how the paint faded," Abed stated, causing Annie to jump. "We never opened the blinds in here."

Annie offered him a guilty smile over her shoulder. "I did. Sometimes while you guys were out on your grand adventures, I'd come in here and run scenarios of my own, usually in parks or foreign landmarks. I always raised the blinds because it helped me imagine that I was outside in the sunshine or under the moonlight." Stepping away from the closet, Annie gently pushed the door shut. "I think I'm actually going to miss the Dreamatorium."

Turning around, she saw that Abed was once again studying her with his head tilted to the side.

"You will?"

"Yeah," Annie sighed out. "I really will. How am I going to visit Paris now?"

Although he didn't respond, Abed bestowed Annie with one of his extremely rare small smiles before kneeling next to the paint cans.

Thirty minutes later, Annie dropped her roller back into the paint tray and left the room. She and Abed had been working in silence, and usually, she would be fine with that. However, tonight the quiet was simply giving her extra time to think, and she couldn't handle it anymore. Her thoughts just kept drifting back to his earlier words and the way that he had smiled at her as Abed and not as a character. When he had started humming the Star Wars theme five minutes ago, Annie's thoughts had inevitably drifted to the incredible kiss he had bestowed upon her when he was Han and she was Leia. It hadn't taken much of that brand of torture for her to decide to grab her I-Pod and docking station.

When she got back, she knelt down to set the device on the floor and plug it into one of the outlets. She could feel Abed's eyes on her as he watched her movements, but she did her best to ignore it. After scanning through her I-Pod for her jogging playlist since the songs on there were picked specifically to keep her motivated and energized, she placed it in the cradle. The sound of the Glee cast's version of Fat Bottomed Girls rang through the room.

"Don't tell Britta I listen to this song," Annie directed Abed as she stood back up. "I don't want to have to listen to her complain about how it objectifies women based solely on their body types."

Abed mimed zipping his lips before turning back to his work.

"Why do you think they chose red?" Annie wondered aloud while she poured additional paint into her tray. "It seems like an awfully violent color for somewhere that's supposed to be relaxing."

She didn't really expect an answer, so she was a little surprised when Abed responded.

"Red is normally associated with the emotions of love and passion," he stated in a monotone.

Running her roller over the unpainted area closest to where she had left off, Annie continued her verbal musings.

"I suppose so, but red has always reminded me of rage, blood, and violence. Then again, I suppose those are one side of passion with the other being love and..._other things_," she whispered the final two words, blushing.

"Sex," Abed filled in impassively.

"Yes," Annie agreed, cheeks burning at the sound of the word.

"People don't just sleep in bedrooms. They also have sex and make love," he said in a straightforward manner.

Annie paused to look over her shoulder at him, only to find that he was doing the same. Their eyes met, Annie's blush deepened, and they both turned back to their work. Annie wanted to kick herself. Why, oh why, had she brought up this subject? It had seemed so harmless to muse over the odd color choice and somehow it had turned into a conversation about sex. And now she was thinking about that kiss again. Annie groaned in frustration. What was wrong with her? She wasn't supposed to think about Abed like this unless he was in character!

Ruthlessly shoving her disturbing thoughts away, Annie focused on the rhythmic motion of her roller over the wall, leaving behind wide swaths of red. She let her music wash over her, similar to when she was on her daily morning jog. A short time later, she was singing along to Katy Perry's 'Teenage Dream'.

"_Got a motel and built a fort out of sheets_," she sang the second verse, rolling over the final segment of her wall. "_I finally found you, my missing puzzle piece. I'm complete_."

Humming along with the chorus, she backed up to inspect her work before setting the head of the roller in her plastic tray.

"This coat needs to dry before we can add the next one," Annie informed Abed.

She moved to the window, pulled up the blinds, and then unlocked and slid the window upwards to let in some fresh air. She probably should have done that before they started, but better late than never. By the time Annie entered the kitchen after closing the paint and cleaning their supplies in the bathtub so that they could reuse them later that night, Abed had made two large bowls of buttered noodles. Annie took hers from him with a smile, grabbed a strawberry soda from the fridge, and sat down in Troy's recliner. Abed settled in his usual chair with his noodles and a bottle of water, flipping on the TV.

"You sing," Abed said after several minutes of eating silently.

Startled, Annie glanced over at him, fork halfway to her mouth.

"Yes, although I usually wait until I'm alone first."

"Why?" Abed asked, his tone slightly curious.

Annie swallowed her noodles before answering.

"I'm not really sure. Just habit, I guess. And years of my mother telling me that singing is a disgraceful activity that should only be done in private," she added, feeling obligated to be completely truthful with him.

And after what she had done last Christmas with the whole sexy Santa baby-talk performance for Jeff, Annie kind of agreed with her. That had truly been a shameful low point in her life. Really, with behavior like that, it was no wonder that Jeff didn't love her but still came running when she texted him that he was about to be screwed in the Biology room.

"You can sing around me," Abed disrupted her thoughts. "I don't mind."

He focused on the TV again, and Annie took a drink of her soda to hide her smile.

Around midnight, Annie finished the last coat of paint in Troy and Britta's room. After she dumped the excess liquid in her tray back into the open can, she straightened up. Clasping her hands, she extended her arms above her head to stretch the kinks out of her back. She closed her eyes and tilted her head to either side to get rid of the strain in her neck. When she opened her eyes, Abed had finished up. His gaze was on her face.

"What?" she asked self-consciously.

"You've got red on you," he declared, running the pad of his thumb along the corner of her lips.

Blue eyes wide, Annie could only focus on the feel of his slightly callused skin until he removed his hand.

"Shaun of the Dead," he informed her before leaving the room.

Bewildered, Annie was left standing in the center of the room, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the spot that still tingled.

Her only thought was that she had watched that movie with Troy and Abed, and while she remembered the quote, she didn't remember the touching.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Oh, that's nice," Shirley sighed, a dreamy expression on her face.

Cheeks pink, Annie busied herself getting a long drink from her water bottle. That was the first time that she had ever told anyone about the night that she and Abed had dismantled the Dreamatorium. She never even mentioned it to Britta because she found that thinking about it was entirely too confusing. After all, Abed hadn't actually done anything, so she was pretty sure that night was just another Annie-of-it-all moment, also known as her attaching inappropriate value to an insignificant event.

"I don't see what's so great about it," Jeff protested. "Nothing happened. He told her not to move out, gave her permission to sing, and wiped some paint off her face. None of that means anything."

"Dude, you talked about sex with _Annie_," Troy told Abed in amazement. "She doesn't talk about that with anyone. She doesn't even say that word."

"I still didn't say that word," Annie pointed out. "And that definitely wasn't where I meant the conversation to go when I started it."

"You kissed Annie!" Pierce yelped suddenly, pointing at Abed.

That part of the story hit each of the study group members until their attention was torn between Annie and Abed.

"I never thought I'd say this, but Pierce is right," Britta said, casting him a surprised look before turning back to Annie. "You said something about a kiss when he was Han and you were Leia." She paused, before continuing, "And, back at the beginning of the story you mentioned joining him in the Dreamatorium if he was being Han and needed a Leia. I didn't really notice it then, but now it's starting to seem like a theme."

Annie ducked her head down and quickly explained, "When we sacrificed ourselves at the end of the paintball game second year, we kissed."

"What?" Jeff barked, swiveling his head to glare at Abed.

"It didn't mean anything," the movie expert defended. "I was Han and she was Leia. It seemed logical that our characters would kiss if they were giving their lives for their cause."

Annie quickly nodded her agreement. Grumbling under his breath, Jeff picked his phone back up and began violently jabbing at the keys.

"I still think that last part of the story was nice," Shirley declared, casting an irritated glance in Jeff's direction.

"Now I'm confused," Britta announced. "Annie, is this story about you and Abed or you and Jeff? Because I think I already know one part of it, and it doesn't mesh with what you've told us so far."

Annie panicked when she remembered which segment Britta knew. She opened her mouth to tell her to keep the details to herself, but Britta had already started talking.

ooooo

_Sunday, January 20, 2013_

Britta held her head and moaned as she made her way to the kitchen. Why had she drank so much? Never mind, she knew why. Because it was fun, at least until the dry throat and hangover kicked in. The dry throat was the whole reason that she was awake at five in the morning on a Sunday. After pouring herself some water, Britta tapped out two aspirin and downed them with the entire glass. Dumping out another two for Troy and refilling the glass, she headed back toward their bedroom.

She was only halfway across the living room when she heard a key turn in the lock on the front door. Curious, Britta watched Annie sneak quietly inside. When the brunette noticed Britta, her eyes widened and she let out a panicked squeak, scrambling for her bedroom.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Mmmmph," Britta's voice was muffled, Abed's hand covering her mouth.

"Spoilers are tacky," he admonished her.

"Yeah, Britta, you're britta'ing Annie's story," Troy added before remembering that she was his girlfriend. "Sorry," he added when it dawned on him.

"Annie?" Shirley questioned in her scary sweet tone. "What was Britta talking about?"

Forehead in her hands, Annie addressed the table.

"Another part of the story. I'll get there, but there's a lot to cover first."


	3. Living Arrangements

Spoilers: Anything up to and including the season three finale, 'Introduction to Finality'. In fact, several of the scenes in that episode's final montage will find their way into this story as I provide my own events that lead up to them.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. If I had any claim on Community, Abed would be all mine.

A/N: I hope I didn't lose readers over Britta's little spoiler last chapter. Just keep in mind that this story is definitely Annie/Abed, but there will be some Annie/Jeff because realizing that she's not in love with Jeff wouldn't have just made all of her attraction to him disappear. I'd like to thank my reviewers: The Alternative Source, MarchesaLace, Anna, and Lucy. Reviews are wonderful, wonderful things that make all of the work worth it. Please read and review! Thanks!

Chapter Three: Living Arrangements

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"So, Annie?" Britta asked expectantly after knocking Abed's hand away. "Is this story about you and Abed or you and Jeff?"

"A little of both," Annie admitted, lifting her head from her hands.

Shirley frowned. "I'm not sure I like that, Annie."

Annie shrugged. "It's all already happened, so I can't change it. Anyway, as I keep telling you, it is a long story. And while Abed and Jeff both have roles in it, it's really more about me."

"It's a coming of age tale," Abed contributed blandly. "The story of Annie growing up."

Sending him a grateful smile, Annie nodded. "What he said."

Straightening from her slumped position, Annie squared her shoulders in order to continue her story. The further she got into it, the more personal the events would get, and the less the rest of the study group would already know. This was going to get more difficult rather than easier, so she took a deep breath and plunged ahead.

ooooo

_Saturday, September 1, 2012_

Annie stared into the back of the moving van, thoroughly disgruntled. The van was stuffed from top to bottom with boxes and other non-boxed large items. The exception was the very center which was open enough for the furniture that was clearly missing. Her jaw clenched. She and Abed weren't supposed to have to deal with this. That was the agreement in exchange for them taking down the Dreamatorium and painting.

Muscles tense with displeasure, Annie turned back to her friends. Ignoring Abed, she focused on Britta and Troy.

"Tell me again why you didn't put this stuff in storage last night," she demanded, fighting to keep her voice even.

Annie wasn't completely sure why she was so angry. Sure, she and Abed would now have to do more than their fair share of the work, but it would only add an hour or two to the move. She was probably just irritated because she'd barely slept the previous night, mostly because she had been dreaming. She knew that they had been pleasant dreams, but when she had woken up, she couldn't remember any more than that. It had put her in a bad mood, and arriving at Britta's to find that she and Troy hadn't carried out their part of the deal hadn't improved it.

Britta and Troy exchanged a guilty look.

"We wanted to, umm..." Britta trailed off.

Troy attempted to pick up her thread, "We just...I can't explain it, Britta! It's _Annie!_"

Annie scowled. "What does that mean?"

Britta took a deep breath. "Since all four of us will be sharing an apartment starting today, Troy and I wanted to take advantage of our last night alone."

Annie's brow furrowed as she tried to figure it out. When realization dawned on her, she blushed, and immediately swung her gaze to Abed, who was getting ready to speak.

"Don't recap. I get it."

He closed his mouth, appearing slightly disgruntled at being headed off.

"I'm just going to go back inside and check my phone," Britta announced awkwardly. "The others should have gotten here by now."

Once she was out of range, Troy looked at Annie and Abed.

"That's not the only reason we're not done," he explained in a low voice. "I mean, that was part of it..."

"Eww, Troy, we do not need the details," Annie cut him off.

Seeming flustered, he said, "Yeah, right. Umm...part of the reason was because of Britta. I know that she thinks she can do anything a man can do, but she's actually pretty weak. Physically," he hurried to add, "not as a person, you know soul, mind, and, uh, all of that." Troy scrubbed a hand over his head anxiously. "Britta can't lift the other end of the couch, and I'm afraid that if she tries to help me with the mattress and box springs, she'll lose her balance and fall down the stairs. I mean, she is Britta."

The corner of Annie's mouth quirked up in spite of her bad mood. That did seem like something that would happen to the blonde.

"So, I had to wait for either you or Jeff to help me carry those things down to the moving van," Troy concluded, glancing over at Abed. "Do you mind?"

"No. Let's do it," Abed agreed easily.

Before the two headed upstairs, Troy pleaded with Annie, "Please don't tell Britta I called her weak."

Letting out a chuckle, Annie assured him that she wouldn't.

"Annie!"

Annie jumped and met Britta's eyes five minutes later.

"You don't have to watch the guys so closely. I know you're worried that they'll fall or something, but they're being careful," she pointed out, amusement obvious. "And even if they did, what would you do? Catch them?"

"You're right," Annie agreed, hiding her relief.

Because she was extremely relieved that Britta hadn't caught on to the real reason why she was watching the guys. Mostly because she wasn't watching the _guys_; she was watching Abed. At some point between following Troy into the apartment and carrying the couch out, he had removed the sweater he had put on to ward against the early morning chill. He was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt underneath it, giving her a very nice view of his arms. The sight of his biceps straining as he helped Troy move the couch down the stairs in the lobby of Britta's building had caught Annie's attention to the point where she had forgotten that Britta was even there. She bit her lip as she caught sight of his lithe muscles again. Jeff may have had the biggest guns, as he called them, in the group, but Abed's were certainly nothing to scoff at.

"Annie!"

Caught staring yet again, Annie jerked her gaze off of Abed and turned her back on him so that she wouldn't be tempted to distraction in the future.

"Where's everyone else?" Annie asked, hoping to divert Britta's attention from her staring.

Britta scowled. "They're not coming. Andre got called in for mandatory overtime, so Shirley has to stay with the kids. Pierce is hung over, and Jeff claimed that he has ick, but since I'm pretty sure that's a fish disease, I suspect that he's just skipping out on us because there's a sale at The Gap today. I can't believe I'm saying this, but at least Pierce was honest about why he's not here."

"So it's just the four of us, huh?"

The blonde nodded. "But we should still finish up fairly quickly. I did manage to get some stuff into storage over the last couple of weeks, and the only piece of furniture I'm moving in is my bed."

Annie waved her hand. "It'll be fine."

When the guys carried the couch past them, she and Britta followed them outside to the moving van. Troy and Abed dropped the couch on the pavement. Bending at the waist, Troy caught his breath. Abed was showing less outward strain, but Annie could tell that his chest was moving faster than usual. When she realized that she wouldn't be able to see that if she wasn't staring _again_, Annie tore her eyes away from him.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" she asked, her voice slightly higher than normal.

Straightening, Troy said, "Nah. You guys'll have plenty to do the rest of the day."

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Ha!" Britta burst out before breaking into laughter.

Everyone, Annie included, stared at her, completely dismayed by her reaction.

"Uh, Britta, sweetie, are you okay?" Shirley asked in concern.

Still laughing so hard that tears were leaking out of the corners of her eyes, Britta nodded. She seemed to be trying to get words out, but no one could understand her. When she started choking, Jeff hit her roughly on the back until she stopped laughing to glare at him.

"What was that?" Troy asked, peering over the edge of the table which he had sunk under to escape his girlfriend's hysteria.

Britta shook her head, wheezing. "I'm sorry. Sorry. It's just...I thought that day that I had caught Annie checking out Abed, but then I thought, no, surely not. It's _Annie_ and _Abed!_I was sure I wrong, and I quickly forgot about it. So, to find out now that I was right..." and she broke down in laughter again.

Ignoring the maniac sitting next to him, Abed addressed Annie.

"You were watching me?"

She blushed and tried to pretend that Jeff wasn't scowling at her. "Yeah. I didn't mean to, and I didn't really want to, though. It's not like anything was going to happen, and I knew it. In fact, that was made perfectly clear to me that day, if you'll remember."

ooooo

_Saturday, September 1, 2012_

"Abed," Annie hissed. "I think we're being followed. That black van," she pointed at it, "was outside of Britta's building, and now it's here."

Both Annie's car and the moving van were parked in front of the storage unit that Britta was renting. They'd been working for about an hour and already had the van about half empty. Annie and Abed had escaped the room when Britta had started bossing Troy around on where to put her couch. Since Abed had done his part to carry it in, Troy was able to easily push it by himself, sliding it around on the hard floor. From their location, they could hear Britta's indecisive directions.

Abed looked at where she was pointing.

"Why would someone follow us?" she whispered fearfully. "We're not doing anything interesting."

"That's Robin," he stated blandly before raising an eyebrow at Annie. "I'm surprised that you noticed her."

"Robin?" Annie asked in confusion.

Abed nodded. "We have a relationship. She's in the Secret Service, so I pretended that I was a threat to national security about a year and a half ago. It gives her an excuse to come to Greendale every few months."

Annie snapped her mouth, which had fallen open, shut. She wasn't sure what horrified her more: the fact that Abed had acted like a threat just to see some woman, the fact that he had been seeing someone for that long without anyone knowing, or the fact that she had spent the day checking out a taken man.

"I've lived with you for a year! How did I not know this?" she questioned.

Right. Reason number two it was then.

"No one knows," Abed said matter-of-factly. "She stays in her van the entire time. She's never been into the apartment, and we haven't seen each other face to face since we met."

_What kind of relationship was that? _Annie wondered.

"We can't communicate tonight. I'm not alone because Robin wasn't due for a visit until next month," Abed mused out loud. "So, she must be here to serve as a catalyst for something else in the plot."

"How can you be happy with that?" Annie asked. "Don't you think you deserve more than someone who never actually spends time with you? Someone that you can, I don't know, hold hands with or kiss or something?"

"I'm not good at those things," he admitted blankly, staring at the imposing black van. "My relationship with Robin is comfortable."

"That's because you're pretty much single in all but title," she pointed out in irritation. "And you are not a bad kisser!"

When the words burst out of her, Annie clapped her hand over her mouth. Why had she said that? She hadn't meant to say that!

She and Abed had never spoken about their kiss as Han and Leia. In fact, Annie was fairly sure that he had forgotten all about it. She had been fine with that; it was a nice memory, but she understood that it hadn't actually meant anything. So why did she have to bring it up now of all times? She probably sounded like some sort of jealous lunatic! Glancing worriedly at the muttering Abed, she thought she caught the words 'conflict episode' before he raised his voice to its normal level.

"Annie..." Abed began, but Annie interrupted him.

"Don't, Abed. I know that it wasn't Annie and Abed kissing, but Han and Leia. You don't have to give me the big speech about how it didn't mean anything and how it would be best if I just forgot it happened. I have that speech memorized. Thank Jeff for saving you the trouble," she ranted before hurrying into the storage area.

Troy and Britta had their backs to her as they pushed the couch up against the opposite wall, so Annie took a moment to lean in the corner next to the door and calm down. What was wrong with her? She was acting like the moony teenager that Jeff always accused her of being. Abed's description of his relationship with Robin had thrown her world off-kilter, though. And it wasn't that Annie wanted a relationship with him; despite her recently discovered attraction to him, she didn't. She was happy with their friendship as it was. It was the idea that he could be happy with something like that - it just seemed wrong. Abed was a film student; he regularly made his own movies, not to mention all of the ones he watched, including several romances. Shouldn't he strive for something better than a woman who was no more than a shadow to him? He certainly deserved more than that.

After Abed came in carrying another box, Annie shoved off the wall and headed back outside. Maybe the physical labor would clear her head.

It took them another half an hour to pack everything that wasn't coming to the apartment into the storage unit. Afterward, they drove straight home. They hauled everything inside, which went quickly since Britta had brought very little with her. While the guys put her bed back together, Annie helped her newest roommate unpack in the living room to stay out of the way.

"Do you think they're actually getting anywhere in there?" Annie asked, head tilted toward the door as she listened to the guys' voices float out.

"Who knows?" Britta said with a roll of her eyes. "I'm more worried that we set them loose with power tools."

"Just an electric screwdriver!" Annie reminded her. "They aren't quite as irresponsible as everyone thinks they are."

Britta let out a cough that sounded like 'Office Max' as she pulled the tape off one of the boxes.

Annie chuckled. "That was an unusual exception. They do a lot of childish things, but they rarely ever actually risk their safety."

"I guess I'll find out," Britta sighed. She turned her blue eyes on Annie. "Have I mentioned how glad I am that you live here?"

While her tone was mostly humorous, Annie could hear the layer of sincerity underneath. She knew why Britta felt that way. She was glad that she would finally have someone who was mostly normal to help her deal with Troy and Abed. She loved them, but sometimes she just wanted to run them both over. Usually when they kept interrupting her study time.

"I'm happy that you're moving in," Annie confessed, smiling at her friend.

There was a loud buzzing in the bedroom.

"That's not how you hold it," Troy's voice sounded. "Turn it over. No, the other way."

The whine sounded again followed by Abed's voice.

"This would make a pretty good gun."

"Get back to work, guys!" Annie yelled in to them.

"Oh! Future adventure, Abed. Sorry, Annie!" Troy shouted back.

Pulling a new box labeled 'Living Room' in front of her, Annie shook her head. It was a wonder those two ever got anything done before she moved in. Peeling the tape off, she lifted the flaps and looked inside. She let out a small shriek.

"No, Britta. You are not keeping your cat urns in the living room. They're creepy and gross. If you want to keep them here, you have to take them to your bedroom."

"Okay," she agreed.

"No!" Troy yelped, running out of his new room. "No urns in the bedroom! I don't need cat ghosts waking me up at night."

"But, Troy..." Britta tried to protest before he cut her off.

"No, Britta! Living cats don't like me, and ghost cats are bound to be even meaner 'cause of the whole dead thing," he pointed out as Abed appeared in the doorway behind him.

"You could scatter the ashes somewhere," Abed suggested practically.

Annie agreed wholeheartedly with that suggestion. "Surely they would be happier somewhere like a park than stuck in your storage unit."

Britta scooted next to Annie and stared sadly down into the box. "You're probably right. I was trying to keep them together, but since Mr. Whiskers died, there's no reason not to finally lay them to rest. He was the last one, after all."

"I'll take you tomorrow," Troy offered. He stared down into the box of small urns. "You hear that? We're letting you out tomorrow, so you just leave us alone tonight."

Britta tilted her head up to send Troy a wavering smile. "Thank you."

"Sure," he said, dropping a quick kiss on her lips before following Abed back into the bedroom.

Annie moved away from Britta to open a different box.

She wondered how long it would take before she stopped feeling sad every time the two of them acted like such a happy couple.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Ghost cats?" Jeff asked with a laugh.

"Yes," Troy replied stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Annie hid her grin behind her hand. "Troy was very happy to help Britta scatter their ashes at the nearest park the next day."

"Oh, that's nice," Shirley said, smiling. "I was uncertain about you two initially, but you are a cute couple."

Britta appeared torn between happiness and annoyance. "Well, thank you, Shirley. That's a little condescending, but nice to hear all the same."

"So you just wanted to bone Abed back then, right Annie?" Pierce questioned curiously.

"Pierce!"

The sound of his name called by six voices as usual made him sit back in his chair and glare at all of them.

"I'm just trying to make sure I understand the story," he defended himself.

Annie sighed. "Yes, Pierce. Although I wouldn't put it in those crude terms, I was attracted to him, but I didn't want a relationship. Especially not after I heard about _Robin_," she added, disdain creeping into her tone as she said the other woman's name.

ooooo

_Saturday, September 1, 2012_

How had she gotten here again?

Annie was behind the wheel of her car, heading to the nearest McDonald's to pick up lunch. It was a job that she could have easily done on her own, and yet somehow Abed was sitting in her passenger seat. When she had stepped out of the apartment after taking everyone's orders, he had just silently followed her out as if it was a previously agreed-upon arrangement. Considering that they had barely spoken since her outburst about their paintball kiss, she was really unhappy with his presence.

Fortunately, Abed wasn't the type to force conversation, so she was able to semi-successfully pretend that she was alone. They were quiet for the ten minute drive to the fast food place and all the way through the drive-thru. It wasn't until they were on their way back that Annie finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

"I'm sorry for my behavior earlier," she apologized stiffly. "I had no right to raise my voice at you."

She could feel his eyes on her but kept her gaze focused through the windshield.

"Can I say what I wanted to say earlier?"

Annie was surprised that he was asking instead of just doing it. He never showed concern for how his words would be received. Maybe her empathy lesson had stuck. The fact that he would use it now worried her, though.

"I suppose," she allowed.

There was silence for a moment, so Annie glanced at him through her peripheral vision. His brow was creased and his eyes were slightly squinted in thought as if he was choosing his words carefully. It was so unlike Abed that Annie took her gaze off the road just long enough to confirm that she was seeing what she thought she was. When she was sure, she turned her eyes back to the traffic around them.

"Ever since our first simulation in the Dreamatorium, the script has been off," he finally began in his normal monotone. "Troy and Britta are together. You aren't in love with Jeff. Neither of those things were in the script. Troy and Britta weren't supposed to start dating, and you and Jeff are supposed to be together. That's how the plot was written years ago. But those things didn't happen like they were supposed to, and now other things are happening incorrectly. Robin's appearance today is just one example."

Annie tried to absorb his words. She had known about Abed's script, of course, but he had never shared what was in it with anyone. She'd had no idea that it wasn't working like he had predicted. She wanted to reassure him, but she had never heard him say so much at once without being in character first, so she kept quiet. She was worried that if she interrupted, he'd stop.

"I know that you told me to try to wing it more often, but that isn't easy for me. I'm the director - I'm not supposed to have an arc in the story. If one develops, then I might lose my objectivity at which point I may as well void the script completely. That scenario is unacceptable."

Annie had no idea what any of this had to do with her outburst that morning, but she listened intently all the same.

"I don't understand emotions. I don't act on emotions, not on my own. I need help for that. That is why Robin is ideal for me. I don't have to do either of those things with her. I don't risk a story arc of my own, so I won't lose my objectivity. Once I rewrite the script, I'll be able to direct the plot correctly."

Abed fell silent at that. Annie thought about his words. She still wasn't sure what they had to do with their paintball kiss, but it warmed her that he would open up to her about his problems. If nothing else, it certainly explained why he was willing to settle for a no-romance romance. She knew there had to be more to his words than that, but there was too much for her to sort through to figure out exactly what else was there.

They finished their drive, each absorbed in their own thoughts. When Annie pulled into the parking lot and switched off the engine, she pushed the door open. The startling feeling of Abed's hand on her arm brought her gaze back to him. His dark eyes were intense as they met her blue ones, clearly begging her to understand him.

"Our paintball kiss didn't mean anything because it was just between two characters, Han and Leia."

Annie grit her teeth at Abed's version of the words that she had heard from Jeff so many times over the past three years.

"But a kiss between Abed and Annie...that might mean something," he hedged, a note of uncertainty in his voice. "It just can't."

With those words, Abed dropped her arm and climbed out of her car. As he started toward the building with the drinks tray, bags perched on top, Annie just sat there, dazed. Actually admitting that a kiss might mean something was definitely a twist on the Jeff speech that she knew by heart.

And if she could just sort through all of the Abed speak, she was pretty sure there was an extremely important deeper meaning hidden in what he had just told her.

Head aching with the confusion, Annie climbed out of the car to follow him inside.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Dude, when did you decide that kissing Annie might mean something?"

For the first time, Troy was the one to interrupt story time.

"When she said that she would miss the Dreamatorium," Abed answered matter-of-factly.

Troy nodded knowingly. "Gotta love a girl who can appreciate simulations."

"What did he mean that day?" Britta asked curiously. "With his long speech?"

"That would be a spoiler," Abed pointed out.

"How long did it take you to figure out what he was trying to tell you?" Shirley questioned, eyes wide, having clearly put it together.

Annie bit her lip before responding, "Far longer than I'd prefer to admit, but in my defense, what happened next that day was very distracting and then, between school and work, life got really busy."

ooooo

_Saturday, September 1, 2012_

When Annie saw what was happening upon entering the apartment, she screeched and slapped her left hand over her eyes. Abed was standing next to her, and she knew that his hands were full, so she reached up and covered his eyes with her right hand.

Because Troy and Britta were having sex in Troy's recliner.

"Annie, I need help reacting to this," Abed stated simply.

The sound of his voice apparently alerted their roommates to their presence because Troy let out a girlish squeal. Annie listened as they scrambled around, and she addressed Abed.

"No, you don't. You don't respond to this; you just let me keep my hand over your eyes until they're decent."

"Okay."

It took about sixty seconds, but the movements stopped.

"We're dressed," Britta announced.

Annie peeked between her fingers first just to make sure. When she was certain that they were both fully clothed, she dropped both hands.

"Okay, non-negotiable roommate rule number one," she started, pacing back and forth while Abed carried the food to the table. "Keep your _sex_," she whispered the word, "in your bedroom. Activities like that should only happen behind closed doors, and I don't mean the front door."

She paused to make sure that they understood. When she saw the rebellious expression on Britta's face, she continued before the other woman could speak.

"Non-negotiable roommate rule number two: If you choose to ignore rule number one, please disinfect any surfaces that you come in contact with. That's just common courtesy."

She looked over at Britta to find her defiance fading.

"And, non-negotiable roommate rule number three: If you disregard rule number one, never, ever, ever tell me about it. I don't want to constantly worry that I'm sitting somewhere that you've defiled." She sighed. "I think that's it. If you two can follow those rules, we should be okay."

Abed added, "Stay out of the blanket fort and Annie's room."

"Yes!" Annie agreed excitedly. "Our rooms are off limits for your...activities. Nice catch, Abed."

He nodded his acknowledgment at her as he set Britta's salad out.

"We wouldn't have done anything in either of your rooms, anyway," Troy declared, hurrying over to the food. "That would just be wrong."

"You're used to living alone," Annie addressed Britta. "So, will you be okay with these rules?"

Britta shrugged. "I'm sure I'll survive."

As Britta met the men at the table, Annie watched her three roommates chatting as they separated out the food. Smiling, she joined them.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"That just made this whole rambling story worth it," Jeff declared, his face alight with amusement.

Britta raised her head from where it was buried in her hands. "Did you really have to tell that part, Annie? You couldn't have kept that one small section to yourself?"

"Sorry, but that section of the story was important because it distracted me from Abed's words," Annie apologized to her embarrassed friend before turning her focus to the rest of the group. "After that, I didn't really think about what Abed had said unless I was alone, and those moments were rare since there were three other people in the apartment. And then Shirley's sandwich shop opened up and I had to worry about not just school, but work too."

ooooo

_Monday, September 10, 2012_

"Really, Annie? You're studying?"

At the sound of Jeff's voice, Annie looked up with a smile from her anatomy textbook.

"I'm taking advantage of the lull in business."

She was standing at the counter of the sandwich shop. She had been on the job for a week, and she was surprised by how much she enjoyed it. The job itself was really easy. Plus, since the shop was the only place open after five, several students stopped by each night to purchase food and drinks. It gave Annie a chance to learn more about her peers, and she was really enjoying that unexpected perk. Plus, there were times when business died down and she was able to study.

"Do you want to order something?" she asked Jeff, closing her book. "I make a mean turkey and cheddar on honey oat."

He aimed a charming smile at her as he settled onto one of the stools on the other side of the counter and Annie felt her heart rate pick up.

"Nah, nothing to eat, but I'll take a bottle of water if you have it."

Grabbing a bottle out of the mini-fridge on the back counter, Annie rang it up on the register.

"That'll be $1.25, Milord," she said with her best customer service smile in place.

"Milady," he responded, handing over exact change.

When she looked up after finishing the transaction, she saw that he was staring around the mostly empty cafeteria.

"So, what do you need?" she asked, resting her forearms on the counter.

"Need? Can't I visit my favorite friend without needing something?" he replied smoothly, focusing his attention back on her.

Raising an eyebrow, Annie let the smile drop from her face.

"Jeff, I have been working here for a week and you're the only member of the study group who hasn't stopped by to at least say hi. Troy and Britta ate supper here last Thursday. Shirley brought her family to eat last Wednesday and yesterday. Abed's been in every night to keep me company. Even Pierce came by before you did. So, yes, I do think that you want something from me," she explained seriously. "So what is it?"

"Abed's been hanging out here?" he asked curiously.

Thrown by the odd question, Annie nodded.

"Yeah. He's the reason Shirley added the barstools to the stand. She felt bad for him after he stood here for the full hour that it took for her and her family to finish eating."

She smiled softly at the memory of how she had come in Thursday to find the two stools that currently sat on the other side of the counter. She had never actually discussed it with Shirley, but she was sure they were present for Abed's benefit.

"How is he handling all of the changes? It can't be easy for him now that Troy is spending most of his time with Britta," Jeff mused.

Annie checked the time. She still had half an hour before she had to shut down. She wondered where Abed was; she hadn't seen him yet tonight and with as routine-driven as he was, she was a little worried.

"He's actually coping much better than I initially expected. I'm not saying that it hasn't been an adjustment, but he's trying. I'm proud of him for that."

"Hey, Annie, could you get me a roast beef on wheat with lettuce and tomato?"

Turning with a smile to her new customer, Annie said, "Of course, Garrett. How's your physics paper coming?"

While she made his sandwich, she listened to him prattle on about the research that he had done so far. Garrett was one of her regular customers. From what she could tell, he seemed to practically live in the library. As soon as he had paid and she had sent him off with a smile, she moved back down the counter to Jeff, who was playing on his phone.

"You're not here to talk about Abed, Jeff. So, come clean. Why are you here?"

Jeff sighed and tucked his phone back into his pocket.

"How are you doing, Annie?"

Startled, she frowned at him. "Fine. Why?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Come on, Annie. You're clearly exhausted and you look like crap. Something's obviously wrong."

Gritting her teeth at his insulting words, Annie averted her gaze. How she felt wasn't any of Jeff's business.

"Talk to me, Annie," he urged in a concerned voice.

The sincerity of his tone got to her, and she met his eyes once again.

"My room is right next to Britta and Troy's," she finally stated.

"Let me guess. They're keeping you up with their loud sex," Jeff speculated. He had a fond smile on his face. "Britta always was a screamer."

The sentence caused a vague throb of pain in her stomach, but she was actually glad for that. She could remember a time when she would have been completely devastated to hear Jeff talk about Britta that way.

"Pretty much," she confirmed, letting her temper rev up. "I love them, I really do, but if they don't shut up and let me get more than two hours of sleep, I'm going to sneak into their room late at night and strangle them both with my sheets. And that would really be a shame because my sheets have little yellow flowers on them. Little yellow flowers are supposed to be happy, not murder-adjacent."

Annie took two deep breaths when she was done in an attempt to calm down. She felt kind of bad for what she had just said, but there was also a certain sense of relief in having finally gotten her irritation out. It didn't change the sheer ridiculousness of _what_she had said, though. When Jeff started laughing, Annie couldn't help but join him.

"Sorry," she apologized when she sobered up. "Is that why you're here? Because you were worried about me?"

"Of course not," he brushed off the question. "I wasn't worried about you."

Annie grinned at him. "Of course you weren't," she said teasingly. "You're such a softie sometimes, Jeff."

He glared at her. "Am not. You take that back."

"Nope," she said, popping the p sharply.

"I'm going," he announced, standing up.

At those words, Annie pulled her book back out and reopened it to her place in chapter two.

"Hey, Annie."

She lifted her head when he addressed her.

"It's okay to take a break from studying sometimes. If you don't stop and have some normal fun occasionally, you're going to turn into an encyclopedia. We already have the pop culture version with Abed; we don't really need a second reference book in the group."

As Jeff walked away, Annie couldn't help but wonder.

Maybe studying really was an addiction.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"It was awfully mean to call Abed an encyclopedia, Jeffrey," Shirley scolded before adding under her breath, "even if it was true."

Annoyed, both by the interruption and Shirley's words, Annie addressed the entire group.

"You do know that Abed is a human with real feelings, right? Just because he doesn't express them doesn't mean they aren't there."

"It's okay, Annie," Abed assured her. "I am aware that with very few exceptions I function similarly to a computer. They aren't that far off in their assessment."

"You seem to know a lot about Abed's feelings, Annie," Pierce observed in a voice rife with implications.

"When you live with someone for as long as I've lived with him, you catch on to how they operate," she explained impassively. "And Abed and I have spent a lot of time together."

"So, where was he that night?" Shirley questioned. "Why didn't he visit you at work like every other night?"

"He was at home," Britta offered. "When Troy and I went into our bedroom to study..."

"Study, right," Jeff scoffed.

The blonde glared at him, "Yes, study. Anyway, he was in the living room..."

"We weren't actually studying," Troy said in a stage-whisper.

"Troy!" his girlfriend cried in irritation.

"Sorry," he apologized quickly although his satisfied grin rather diminished the effect.

Britta huffed, "Like I was saying, Abed was watching TV at home that night."

"He was at home," Annie agreed, "but he wasn't watching TV by the time I got back."

ooooo

_Monday, September 10, 2012_

By the time Annie arrived home that night, it was nearly nine. Thankful that she had finished all of her homework during her free time at work, all she wanted was to crawl into bed and get a few hours of sleep before Troy and Britta got started. With that thought serving as her driving force, Annie crossed behind Abed, who was in his recliner, to her room. While she was changing into her pajamas, she heard loud moaning coming through the wall and groaned. _Didn't they ever do anything else?_She had really thought that if she sped through her homework before she got home, she'd get to sleep for a little bit.

Pulling out the elastic that had kept her work ponytail in place, Annie ran her brush through her hair to a chorus of dirty talk from the next room. In an effort to ignore the noise, she let her mind work on her sleep problem. Maybe she could try the inflatable sofa or she could simply sleep on the floor in the living room. Anything had to afford her more rest than staying here. Decision made, she grabbed her pillow and quilt and exited her room.

Annie dropped both objects on the couch. Abed was still in his recliner, and the glare of the TV was bright in the dark room. Circling around so that she could see him, Annie started talking.

"Hey, Abed, why didn't you...?"

She stopped when she realized that he was asleep. It was so unusual for him to fall asleep while the TV was on, let alone this early at night, that she just watched him for a moment. He looked so approachable, so _human _in sleep, and, admittedly, sort of adorable. His head was lolled to the side, resting on his shoulder. His hair, usually parted and combed back, was falling into his eyes. She noted with some amusement that it had been a while since his last haircut. His long, lanky body was sprawled out in the recliner, one arm hanging over the side, the other across his stomach. Due to his height, his feet were sticking out over the end of the footrest.

She almost hated to disturb him, but she knew that if she let him sleep like this, he'd feel awful in the morning. Still, her hands were itching to see if his hair was as soft as it looked and she would never get another chance like this. Feeling just the tiniest bit guilty for taking advantage, Annie moved forward silently and crouched next to him. Reaching out, she hesitantly ran her fingers through his fringe, brushing it back from his face. It was every bit as silky as she expected it to be. Staring down at him, she noted with concern that he had dark circles under his eyes.

"Annie?"

Startled, her hand stilled and she met his gaze. Confusion and something softer were shining in the depths of his dark eyes. Before she pulled her hand away, she could swear that he leaned slightly into her touch.

"Sorry, Abed."

She wasn't sure if she was apologizing for waking him or for touching him.

"When did you get home?" he asked sleepily, his facial features still soft with exhaustion.

She glanced at the clock on the wall. "About twenty minutes ago. I was going to ask why you didn't come in tonight, but then I noticed that you were asleep and..."

She trailed off, uncertain where to go from there. What could she say? _And then I decided to run my fingers through your hair because you were asleep and couldn't tell me no? _She lowered her gaze in shame. How awful was she?

"I fell asleep," Abed said blankly.

Annie met his eyes again. "Huh?"

"I was going to come see you, but I fell asleep," he repeated.

"Oh. You're not coming down with anything, are you?" she asked with concern.

She couldn't imagine that he was missing sleep for the same reason that she was. She was sure that he was safe from Troy and Britta's noise in the blanket fort. Her bedroom served as a buffer between the two. Honestly, if she had known how things would turn out, she might have taken the blanket fort when she first moved in.

"Are you?" he responded. "You look tired."

She offered him a small smile. "I'm fine, Abed."

Raising from her crouched position, she stretched. Great, now she would have to wait for Abed to go to bed before she could fall asleep. Well, no reason she couldn't make up her makeshift bed now. Moving to the inflatable couch, she set her pillow at one end. She was spreading her quilt out when the sound from the TV died and the room was cast into darkness. Once her eyes had adjusted, she sought out Abed over her shoulder only to find that he was standing at the end of the sofa.

"Why are you sleeping in here?" he asked with a tilt of his head.

"My room is too noisy," she explained, praying that he wouldn't ask why.

"Troy and Britta," he said simply. It wasn't even a question.

She nodded, glad for the dark that hid her blush. "I just need one night where they don't wake me up."

He was silent for several moments, so she finished setting her quilt in place. She wasn't sure that she was going to do any better here, but if she fell off or couldn't sleep, she'd just move to the floor. Sure, she would be stiff in the morning if she had to do that, but at least she might be rested.

"I can't sleep because I'm alone," Abed announced to Annie's great surprise. "It's too quiet in the blanket fort without Troy."

She turned around to face him fully. "You'll get used to the silence. It's just going to take time."

He didn't respond. Instead, they just stood there, looking at each other as a comfortable hush settled between them. His expression was uncertain, as if he was deciding something. Annie waited patiently for him. She knew that he'd let her in when he was ready. He was acting strangely, though, almost as if he hadn't woken up to his normal fully guarded state. When he finally spoke, she was sure that no words could have surprised her more.

"You could sleep in the blanket fort," he offered quietly. "Just for tonight."

She was completely shocked, but the appeal of a real bed in a quiet location was far too strong to deny. If she could get some sleep, and maybe help him get some at the same time, then the arrangement was a win/win if a little awkward.

"Okay," she agreed simply.

Picking up her pillow, Annie followed him into the blanket fort. While Abed settled into the bottom bunk, Annie climbed the ladder to Troy's old bunk. She was relieved when the only scent that hit her was that of their laundry detergent - it meant the sheets were clean. Putting her pillow in place, she crawled under the covers and rolled onto her side, relaxing into the soft mattress under her, the bed creaking slightly. She heard Abed let out a content sigh below her.

"Good night, Annie," he said.

"Good night, Abed," she mumbled, already well on her way to sleep.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Awe," Shirley cooed before frowning slightly. "Is it weird that I want Annie and Abed to end up together?" she asked the room at large.

"Yes," Jeff responded without glancing up from his phone, earning a glare from her.

"And why would you care if that's where the story leads?" Britta inquired in her most professional voice. "Do you have repressed feelings for Annie?"

Their defacto leader aimed a scowl at the amateur psychologist before turning back to his phone. Annie was starting to notice a pattern with him. Every time she reached a part of the story that focused on Abed, his interest in his phone would spike. She felt a little bad that he was so uncomfortable, but she wasn't about to alter the story just to make him feel better.

"I'm sorry, Annie!" Troy suddenly burst out.

"What? Why?" she asked, puzzled.

"I didn't know that we were keeping you up! I'm sorry!"

Annie shrugged off his concerns. "I eventually got used to the noise, just like Abed got used to the silence," she reassured him.

"And on the nights when you were too loud for her to sleep, she would stay in the blanket fort," Abed added in a monotone.

"Whoa!" Britta exclaimed, swiveling her head from Jeff to Annie so quickly that she grimaced in pain and rubbed her neck. "You were sleeping in the blanket fort on and off for months and we never noticed it? How is that possible?"

Against her will, Annie's eyes settled on Abed across the table. He looked back at her, his eyes intense.

"To be fair, you missed a lot of things over those months."

A/N 2: I hope that Abed didn't seem too out of character. I like to think that since the events of Virtual Systems Analysis Abed has tried a little harder to be more considerate of others' feelings. I also believe that he would feel more comfortable being honest about his fears with Annie, more so than anyone else, after he expressed his fears of abandonment to her in that episode. Overall, I really think that episode laid the groundwork for Abed to act a little more human around her, if nothing else.


	4. An Awkward Favor

Spoilers: Anything up to and including the season three finale, 'Introduction to Finality'. In fact, several of the scenes in that episode's final montage will find their way into this story as I provide my own events that lead up to them.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. If I had any claim on Community, Abed would be all mine.

A/N: Wow, I received a wonderful response to the last chapter. My reviews seriously doubled, and I would love to see that kind of response again. I'm sorry that it took so long for me to get this chapter out compared to the others, but I had six days in a row at work, and I'm in retail and this was a holiday weekend, so they weren't easy days. Dang real life, messing everything up! This chapter was super awkward to write at times, so I hope it turned out okay. I'd like to thank my reviewers: MarchesaLace, ..stance.X, alyssa305, Jade24, The Alternative Source (as always), dancingt21, and nyclove3, and Ksentos. I'd love to hear from all of you again! Reviews are wonderful, wonderful things that make all of the work worth it, especially after such a long, hard work week. Please read and review! Thanks!

Chapter Four: An Awkward Favor

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"What kinds of things did we miss?" Troy asked eagerly, leaning forward in his chair.

Annie shook her head. "If I told you that, it would ruin the story."

"But I want to know," he whined. "You could always take me outside and tell me. Then the rest of the group won't know."

An inelegant snort escaped Annie. "That would essentially be the same as telling everyone."

"Nuh-uh," he denied. "I can keep a secret. I haven't told anybody about the time I saw you two come out of the bathroom together."

_Clunk._

While everyone else stared at Annie in shock, she focused on Jeff. He had dropped his phone and was looking at Abed with barely concealed anger.

"What?" he hissed. "What were you two doing in the bathroom together?"

Annie rolled her eyes. "Cut it out, Jeff. Number one: quit it with the jealousy. Number two: we were in the bathroom because I hurt myself filming one of Abed's movies and he was fixing me up. I'll actually get to that part of the story later. And, number three: it's not like we asked Troy to keep it a secret because _there was no secret to keep._"

Troy scratched his head. "She's right. I was a little surprised that they were in the bathroom together, but then they explained what had happened. I forgot about it later 'cause it wasn't important. Sorry, guys. I guess I just wanted to tell part of the story, too." He glanced at Annie. "Your knee was pretty messed up that day. It looked awesome."

"I remember that," Britta announced. "That was back in the beginning of February. You limped for about a week afterward, right?"

Annie nodded. "It was pretty painful."

"You never did tell us exactly what happened to cause it," Shirley pointed out, having recalled the week in question.

The brunette shrugged. "You know how Abed is about spoilers."

"And I appreciate that Annie was willing to suffer for my art," the film student stated.

Annie smiled at him. "It'll have been worth it when everyone finally sees the movie."

"Why does Annie get to know about the movie and not us?" Pierce asked loudly to draw all attention to himself. "It's not fair."

Annie blushed. "It was a complete accident that I got involved, and it didn't actually start with his movie." She looked over at Abed questioningly and when he nodded, she continued her story. "You see, I walked in on a really weird scene in the apartment one night..."

ooooo

_Friday, October, 5, 2012_

As Annie unlocked the apartment door, her only thought was that it was about time. Work had been excruciatingly long and boring tonight. It hadn't taken long for Annie to learn that Fridays were always difficult shifts to get through. She had very little business since most of the students were out having social lives, something which she sorely lacked. The past Fridays had been okay because Abed had stopped by. He hadn't visited her tonight, though, so she had been left to suffer her boredom by herself. At least she had finished her homework.

Annie grimaced when she realized that she didn't have anything to do with herself for the rest of the weekend. Maybe Abed would have an interesting adventure that she could join him in. She thought that visiting Shirley might be an option, too. It had been awhile since she had visited the boys.

Pushing the door open, her thoughts on her options, Annie entered the apartment. The sound of a woman's voice startled her out of her reverie.

"Oh, yes, spank me!"

Annie's eyes flew shut as a blush spread across her cheeks. _What was that, now?_

"Harder!"

Annie felt her heart sink. Did Abed have a girl over? Wait, wasn't he seeing that Robin person? It couldn't be her, could it? Abed had said that she'd never been in the apartment.

"Fuck me now, Luke."

Wait. _What?_

As crude as the words were, Annie's curiosity was aroused. Lifting one eyelid to allow her a mere slit through which to see, Annie took in the room. When she saw Abed sitting in his recliner, alone, she opened both eyes and moved forward. Stopping next to his chair, she looked down at him. He was leaning forward slightly, eyes glued to the TV as he concentrated intensely. Turning her head to see what had caught his interest, she found the source of the woman's voice.

A nude woman with her hair in side buns that were coming apart was bent over a rather complicated-looking console. There was a man with blonde hair standing behind her, thrusting his hips and causing her to jostle forward each time. For a moment, Annie was just stunned at the sight. She quickly came to her senses and averted her gaze, cheeks blazing. Abed was watching porn. _Abed was watching porn! _It didn't even sound right in her head!

"Oh, Luke!"

"Oh, Leia!"

"Oh my God!" Annie exclaimed. "Aren't they brother and sister?"

_Wait a minute, Annie_. Abed is watching porn and _that's _what you focus on?

"Abed!" she screeched, staring down at the top of his head. "What are you doing?"

Unperturbed by the disturbance, Abed looked up. "Studying. And yes, they are siblings, but they don't know that at this point of the story."

"I refuse to believe that even a Greendale professor assigned watching..._porn_," she whispered, "as homework. So what on Earth are you studying?"

When Abed leaned back into a more comfortable position, Annie noticed the tenting to his pajama pants. Gulping, she stared around the room, only to have her gaze pulled back to the sight. Realizing that she couldn't have a coherent conversation while faced with evidence that he was, in fact, a sexual being even as just Abed, Annie escaped to the blanket fort. She quickly returned and tossed his pillow into his lap to hide his physical response. Abed paused the movie.

"I'm not ashamed of my erection, Annie," he assured her. "It's simply a biological response to arousing stimuli."

"Of course you're not ashamed," Annie consented. "I'm not convinced that you even know what shame is. That's not a completely bad thing, Abed, but I cannot have a conversation with you if I have to look at that. It's just too much."

Annie was mortified when a second meaning to that sentence hit her, but luckily, whereas Jeff would make some sex joke, this was Abed. He understood what she meant when she said it. Taking a moment to steel her nerves for the conversation that she was about to have, Annie wandered over to the DVD player and lifted the case sitting on top of it. She rolled her eyes when she read the title. Star Whores. _That _was real original.

When she had finished mentally preparing herself, Annie set the DVD back down and turned to Abed, blocking the TV from his sight.

"Okay, again, what could you possibly be studying by watching a movie like this?" she asked, gesturing behind herself at the silent TV.

It wasn't that Annie thought that Abed was lying. In fact, if there was anyone that Annie would believe was watching a movie like that to study, it was Abed. Yes, she believed that he truly was doing research or something similar. The problem was that Annie was sure her nerves couldn't take it if she had to walk into the apartment and find him watching something like this again. She was already having a difficult time not thinking of Abed in non-platonic terms. The last thing she needed was to start associating him with blatantly sexual situations. So, if an awkward conversation to figure out what he was doing was needed, then she'd grit her teeth and take care of it.

He was staring up at her, a thoughtful expression on his face. She could tell that he was once again considering his words, but this time she wasn't worried. There was absolutely no way that she had anything to do with the situation she had found him in. She waited quietly for him to speak.

"I'm not doing well in one of my film classes," he finally began.

Annie could see what the admission cost him by the way that his eyes dimmed slightly. Her irritation melted away at the sight. She continued to wait, unwilling to interrupt and possibly cause him to shut down. Sitting stone still, Abed shifted his eyes away from Annie. She wondered briefly if he was embarrassed. Probably. If Abed was confident in anything, it was his movies.

"I'm taking Emotions in Film," he continued blankly. Annie winced; she had a feeling she knew where this was going. "The class is set up so that every two weeks we cover one emotion. I did fine for the first four weeks when we were focusing on anger and sadness. And then last week, we began passion. We were supposed to shoot a scene that either featured sex or implied that it was inevitable."

When he cut himself off, still gazing away from her, Annie mentally willed him to look at her. She was startled when he actually did. The sight of the pain in his eyes felt like a punch to the stomach, and she knew what he was going to say next.

"I failed the assignment. Professor Kibbler said that my piece was incompetent, robotic, and completely absurd. She offered me a chance to redo the scene and improve my score because she thinks I can do better."

Annie felt an immediate urge to hunt down Professor Kibbler and make her suffer for using those adjectives. She knew that he took criticism about his work personally. So, he probably felt like he was all three of those things now, and when she thought about the way so many people had already called him a robot in the past and the way that he believed them, it physically hurt.

The worst part was that Annie actually understood why Professor Kibbler had called his sex scene all of those things without even seeing it. She still remembered the Britta/Troy kissing scene that first day in the Dreamatorium. It had been one of the most awkward things she had ever witnessed. She sighed. Abed could ooze sex appeal when he was in character, but he wrote and filmed his movies as himself, and his ineptness with social cues and emotional expression carried over into them.

"So, you think that watching a..._pornographic _movie will teach you how to make your scene more realistic?" she asked, drawing the obvious conclusion. "Why didn't you just watch an R rated movie? Several of those have similar, less graphic scenes more like what you need to shoot. Wouldn't that be more helpful?"

"It was a comparative study," he explained. "I wanted to see how a sex scene was integrated into a movie that didn't originally feature one. I thought it could teach me the thought process to writing a convincing situation."

Annie wasn't sure where to start. She knew that _that _kind of movie wasn't going to teach Abed what he needed to know. She couldn't deny that he probably did need help, though. Groaning lightly, she realized that she would have to be the one to help him. She was the only one who didn't have anything else going on, after all. At the very least, she could point him in the right direction. She may not have been comfortable talking about sex, but she still remembered a few scenes that were both tasteful and hot.

"Okay, Abed. Here's the deal," she stated after drawing a deep breath. "Movies like this aren't going to teach you how to create a realistic scene. They are created specifically for..._sex_. Your assignment is undoubtedly to create a scene that is integral to an overall plot even if you are only shooting one scene of it. Right?"

Abed nodded, his expression emotionless once again.

"That means that if you want to study properly, you need to watch movies that follow that pattern," she concluded.

"Are you sure?" he asked, a note of uncertainty in his voice.

Annie gave him a confident smile. "It's me, Abed. If there's one thing I'm an expert on, it's studying."

"I don't know what makes a sex scene appealing to the audience, Annie," he admitted reluctantly.

"That's okay. I know a few decent scenes, so I'll make a list for you. I don't have anything else to do this weekend, so we can marathon them. Unless you have plans," she said. Part of her _really _hoped he had plans.

"Movie marathon it is," Abed agreed, before sincerely adding, "Thank you, Annie."

She nodded, mentally kicking herself for volunteering. Even though she tried to tell herself that this was no different than helping any of her other friends study, she knew it wasn't true. Helping them never involved partial nudity and sounds of pleasure. Plus there was the whole thing where she _didn't _want to associate sex with Abed.

So, why on Earth had she just agreed to marathon her favorite sex scenes with him?

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"I can't believe you brought one of those movies into our apartment, Abed!" Britta exclaimed the instant Annie paused for breath. "They're horribly misogynistic and portray women as sex objects who will do anything for money."

Jeff scoffed. "So you only believe women should sleep around as long as they aren't being paid to film it?"

"That's not what I said, but..." Britta said heatedly.

"Porn is a voluntary career choice, Britta. Are you saying women shouldn't have the right to have sex on camera for money if they want?" he pressed further. "Or that Abed shouldn't be allowed to enjoy the results of their work?"

"Umm..." Britta hesitated, torn between her outrage over the porn industry's portrayal of women and her belief that women should be able to do whatever they want.

"Yeah, leave Abed alone," Pierce contributed. "Star Whores is a classic. Why, I remember seeing it in a special theater..."

"Pierce, no!" six voices chorused with Shirley smacking the older man on the arm.

Pulling her hand back, disgust still on her face, she addressed Abed.

"Now, sweetie, you know that watching those types of movies is a Godless act. I'm willing to overlook it this time since you weren't watching for a sinful reason. However, you should pray for God's forgiveness. Given your heathen religion, you can't afford to make any mistakes."

Annie sighed while Abed replied, "Thank you for your concern, Shirley," in a monotone.

"Hey, Annie, can't you at least give us a hint about where this story is going?" Britta questioned suddenly.

"I thought you already knew. You said you knew my secret," Annie pointed out.

"We do," Britta responded, glaring at Jeff for some reason. He paled. "But I'm starting to think that you have more than just that one. So I want a spoiler."

The others concurred, but Annie was very hesitant. If she told the story out of order, she could come off looking really bad. Not to mention that she still didn't know which secret they knew. But apparently Britta was done being patient.

"Don't forget that I hold part of your story hostage," she reminded Annie threateningly. "Either you give us a spoiler or I do."

"You wouldn't," Annie gasped. "What could you possibly gain from that?"

Britta smiled evilly. "Nothing but sweet satisfaction."

While Annie stared at her friend in horror, Abed said, "The audience has spoken Annie. They want a spoiler."

She sighed and Britta beamed.

"Fine. I'll answer one question of your choosing, but only if it won't give away too much," she finally agreed.

"Have you and Abed kissed since the paintball kiss you told us about earlier?" the blonde asked immediately.

Annie nibbled her lip for a couple of seconds before deeming the question okay. She nodded. "Yes, we have."

The response from the group was varied.

"Awe!"

"Abed, you sly dog! You had me fooled with your kiddie act. Does this mean you really are a terrorist, too?"

"You kissed _Annie? Again?_"

"Why didn't you ever tell me, Annie? I thought we were like sisters."

While their fellow study group members talked over each other, Annie stayed out of it. Glancing over at Abed, she saw that he was watching their friends, undoubtedly cataloging their responses for future scenarios. Annie was personally just ready for them all to shut up so that she could continue her story.

"Wait a minute," Jeff's voice cut through the others. He was staring at Annie through narrowed eyes. "Was the kiss as Annie and Abed or were you two in character again?"

Annie quirked an eyebrow at him before coolly saying, "That is a second question, Jeff. I'm not going to answer it."

"So in character, then," he stated firmly as if he already knew the answer.

Dropping her forehead into her hands, Annie stared at the desk.

"I will give you this: the answer to that question is complicated at best."

For a moment, she fell into the memories in question but then Troy's voice dragged her out.

"What scenes did you make Abed watch?"

His genuine curiosity made her smile and she lifted her head again.

"Now that is a question I will answer."

ooooo

_Saturday, October 6, 2012_

Annie sunk as far back into Troy's recliner as she possibly could, wishing it would just swallow her whole. She and Abed had spent the last seven hours watching the movies and single TV episode on the list that she had made for him last night. It wouldn't have been too bad, but Annie had taken her role as teacher seriously. Every time the sex scene that she had chosen from the work began, she would explain to Abed why she had chosen it. While he didn't seem to find this weird, she was feeling awkward as could be. Then again, he wasn't the one who had to explain why he found the sex scenes appealing. She was just thrilled that they were on the final scene on the list.

They had started with a scene from the second season finale of Grey's Anatomy (her guilty pleasure).

"See, Abed, music can really set the mood. And, if you can get past the unsettling fact that he's married and she's dating someone else, the suggestive sight of him removing her, umm, undergarment really gives the scene some heat."

The next movie that she had popped in had been one that she knew would also be one of the most awkward to get through: American Pie. It was another guilty pleasure, and Annie had to point out that the scene she was aiming for was at the very end of the movie and spliced with scenes of the movie's other couples. She wanted him to take note of the Oz/Heather coupling.

"This is another great example of how important music is to these types of scenes. And see how sweet it is when he kisses her shoulder."

Then later: "Take note of how you can see his bare back but they've made strategic use of a blanket to cover their lower bodies and the angle of his body to further hide her from the neck down. You can tell what's happening in the movie based on their movements but there is nothing crude to their scenes."

Once that movie was over, Annie started Dirty Dancing. They watched the romance build up to the scene in his cabin.

"Okay, this one includes her in her bra and him without his shirt, but no full nudity, so it's still tasteful. And see how they dance together just as they have so many times in the past. The fact that they can share what first bonded them as uh...the first step to greater intimacy really establishes their relationship as more than just a casual fling despite his history."

After Baby was saved from her corner, Annie had put in the final movie on the list. It was another bad one, like American Pie, because of the sheer sexuality of the plot. It also happened to be yet another guilty pleasure of hers, but she never could resist Annette and Sebastian's tragic love story in Cruel Intentions.

Taking a steadying breath as she settled into her role as professor, Annie sat up straight in her chair again.

"Once again, music plays a large part in setting this scene as having a deeper meaning beyond just..._sex,_" she whispered. "In spite of their false starts and his terrible behavior, you can really feel that they actually love each other. There are hints of skin throughout the scene, but the way the director uses light and shadow helps disguise it and make it feel less revealing. And kissing is important. It establishes a sense of both romance and passion if a couple can share a really nice kiss on screen."

Finished with her tips, Annie snuggled back into the cushions of the recliner to watch the rest of the movie. When the climax hit with Sebastian's inevitable death, she wiped the tears from her cheeks. She always cried like a baby when she watched his ultimate redemption. The final scene where Kathryn finally got what she deserved didn't slow the tears although it did provide a cathartic sense of justice.

"Why are you crying?" Abed asked as the credits rolled.

Sniffling, Annie met his gaze. He had his head tilted to one side, a slight curiosity in his eyes.

"Sebastian's death is sad, Abed. But it's also meaningful because he gave his life to save the woman he loved. After how awful he was, the fact that he would die in such a noble way shows that he was truly redeemed," she explained, wiping her cheeks again.

"Redemption through love and death." Abed considered for a moment and then nodded. "It's a common story line, often used to ensure that the audience is left with warm memories of a character that they may have initially disliked."

Annie sighed. "That may be why it's used, but that's not why it's effective."

He frowned in a barely perceptible manner. "I admit that I don't always understand why certain techniques are effective at evoking particular emotions," he admitted blankly. "Please explain."

Annie smiled softly, her gaze drifting. "Abed, can you imagine being so deeply loved that someone would give their life for yours without hesitation?" She sighed wistfully. "I think I'd like to be loved that much some day. I wouldn't want my story to end so tragically, but to know that someone loved me so profoundly...that would be wonderful."

"I don't understand," Abed said after a moment. "You want someone to die for you? But isn't death supposed to be a bad thing?"

"That's not it at all!" Annie exclaimed. "Of course I don't want anyone to die for me. That would be horrible! But it's not the _dying _part that's romantic. It's the fact that he would love me enough to risk it."

Abed's brow creased in contemplation before smoothing out. "I still don't understand, but since the trope is effective, I'm willing to trust you on the reason why."

Annie fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Thank you, Abed," she stated in a sarcastic tone, even though she knew he wouldn't get that.

"Cool, cool, cool," he replied easily.

Annie sighed. "When do you have to complete your scene by?"

"It's due Monday, but I would like to shoot early tomorrow so that I have time to edit."

Annie's eyes widened as she entered panic mode at the thought of such a tight schedule. She leaped out of the recliner and started an agitated pacing in front of the similar chairs.

"That soon?" she squeaked. "Abed! There's still so much to do! Shouldn't you call your actors? You need to write the script! Oh, you'll never finish at this rate."

While she freaked out, Abed sat in his recliner and watched her impassively. His distinct lack of concern in the face of her panic brought out the study addict side of her.

"Come on, Abed!" she yelled, waving her arms in his direction. "It's your assignment! Don't you even care if you do well?"

As soon as the words were out, Annie clapped her hand over her mouth. Even in her haze of alarm, she knew that she had gone too far. Abed had always taken both his film classes and his films seriously. Accusing him otherwise was horrible of her; it was like someone accusing _her_of not caring about her grades. When Abed spoke, his normally cool voice was slightly colder than usual.

"I care."

She lowered her hand slightly.

"I'm sorry, Abed. I shouldn't have said that. You know how I get about school. I think I might have a problem," she offered with a weak grin that came off more as a grimace.

He studied her face, head tilted to the side, for so long that Annie began to squirm with discomfort. Finally, when she was starting to wonder if he had frozen that way, he resumed his normal position.

"It's okay. I do have a lot of work to do. I have to find a new cast since my usual actors are working on other projects this weekend," he finally said, breaking the silence.

Annie's smile turned real. "Great! If you know who you want, I'd be happy to ask them so that you can start working on the script," she offered happily.

"Actually, Annie," Abed responded. "I want you to take the heroine's role."

"_Me?_" she yelped in a high pitched voice. "You want me to star in your...your _scene?_"

"Yes. You're available tomorrow and you can critique my script and suggest changes before the shoot," he explained practically. "I promise not to include nudity to accommodate your prudish sensibilities."

_Prudish?_ That wasn't a very nice word. Was that how he saw her? As someone so uncomfortable with her sexuality that she was essentially a non-sexual being? Annie sighed. Maybe he had a point. She _was_ seriously considering leaving him to handle this scene on his own simply because she didn't want to have to kiss someone on camera. And, she _had _once proudly claimed to be comfortable being uncomfortable with her sexuality. While she still didn't see anything wrong with that, the thought that Abed saw her that way really irritated her. If she was able to star in his scene without chickening out, then maybe he would see her as a real woman. Not that she should want that. Honestly, she felt like she didn't know what she wanted recently.

"Fine," she finally agreed hesitantly. "I'll star in your scene, but I'm not sure how good I'll be. I don't know if I'll even be able to kiss a stranger convincingly on camera. Or at all."

"You won't be filming with a stranger," Abed stated. "Of course, I can't use Troy because he always forgets his lines. I'll try Jeff. You've already kissed him."

"What?" Annie squealed, horrified.

She couldn't film a sex scene with Jeff. There was no way that wouldn't be awkward or destroy the comfortable friendship they had developed. As much as she didn't love him, she was still highly attracted to him. If they filmed Abed's scene, she was terrified that she would fall back into her old Jeff addiction. It was like Britta and Blade, and Annie was smart enough to know that Jeff was her Blade. But she didn't want to be addicted to him. So she couldn't kiss him again. Tugging her hair nervously, Annie shook her head. She was starting to feel like she had in high school, after the robots but before the plate glass window. Why had she agreed to this? She shouldn't have agreed to this!

"Jeff," Abed said into his phone. "Can you film a sex scene with Annie for one of my assignments?"

Annie stilled, listening to her roommate's side of the conversation.

"I see."

Annie wished that Abed's voice was more expressive. If she had some idea of what Jeff was saying, perhaps her nerves would die down.

"Don't worry. I'll figure something out."

Without so much as a goodbye, as was typical for a phone call with Abed, he disconnected.

"Jeff won't do it," Abed announced in monotone.

Even as relief washed over her, Annie's heart sank. It didn't make much sense to be disappointed that Jeff didn't want to film Abed's scene with her when she didn't want to with him either, but she still was.

"I'm sorry, Abed," she apologized, releasing her death grip on her hair. "I'm sure he'd be happy to help if you found a different female lead."

Abed shook his head nearly imperceptibly. "You're the best choice, Annie."

Silence descended on the room while Abed figured out an answer to the problem and Annie fought not to dwell on Jeff's response. When a full two minutes passed, Annie decided that it was time for her to start dinner. It was technically Troy's turn, but since he and Britta had gone to Denver for the weekend, Annie wanted to try a new grilled cheese recipe that she had found online. Turning on her heel, she headed into the kitchen.

"I'll do it."

Annie, who was retrieving the butter from the fridge minutes later, jumped and smacked her head on the top shelf.

"Ow!" she cried out, pained.

She was rubbing the small lump on her head when Abed's words sunk in. Closing the fridge, she spun around to face him.

"Wait, what? What do you mean, you'll do it?"

"I'll play the male lead and film the scene with you."

As she realized that she had somehow agreed to film a sex scene opposite _Abed_, Annie descended into a whole new kind of hysteria. Her fist tightened on the door handle until her knuckles turned white.

Heart racing, Annie was thankful when Abed left the room. At least he wouldn't see her shaking hands while she cooked.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"So when you offered me a sex scene with Annie, you actually meant Annie? As in m...our Annie?" Jeff asked, shock written clearly across his features.

"Yes," Abed confirmed. "How could you misinterpret that? Was it my lack of inflection again?"

"No. I just didn't think that Annie Edison would ever agree to something like that!" Jeff exclaimed, his usual self-control gone. "I thought you meant fake Annie from your webseries, or, hell, even Annie Kim. Not our Annie!"

"I wouldn't work with Annie Kim," Abed responded immediately. "She's our Annie's arch nemesis. I would be a traitor in that scenario."

"Right," Jeff replied.

"Besides, Annie Kim is far too cold to film a romantic scene with the appropriate amount of warmth," Abed continued. "Unlike our Annie."

Annie beamed at him. "Awe, Abed. Thank you."

"Cool, cool, cool."

Britta scowled at Jeff.

"No more interruptions. The story's starting to get good, and I want to know what happened next," she informed him.

He frowned back at her.

"It's pretty obvious. They filmed the scene, kissed _in character_, and Abed passed the assignment," he guessed, looking to Annie for confirmation.

She took a deep breath to steady herself for the next part of the story. She had never talked to anyone about it, and not even Abed, who had been present, knew the whole thing.

"Not exactly."

ooooo

_Sunday, October 7, 2012_

Annie sighed as she stared into the mirror. The outfit that Abed had chosen for her character was much fancier than she was used to, but since the scene was set to take place during a cocktail party, she had to admit that his costume choice was impeccable. She wondered where he had gotten it.

The evening dress was long, falling nearly to the floor, but it had slits up the sides to mid-thigh. The top clung to her curves, but didn't actually show any cleavage. Instead, it continued up to her neck and fastened in a type of built-in choker. To look at the dress from the front, it was perfectly modest. Even the slits only opened to reveal her legs when she walked.

However, when she turned around, the dress was suddenly risque. There was practically no material to that side. From the spot where it fastened around her neck to right above her butt, the skin of her back was bare. Annie felt distinctly self-conscious with the nudity even though it wasn't actually indecent. Based on her discomfort, she was sure that Abed had picked a dress that was the perfect combination of elegant and sexy. Even the dark blue of the velvet brought out her eyes. Annie had placed the final touches with a pair of matching pumps, an elegant twist of her hair, and simple gold studs in her ears. Despite her feelings about the dress itself, she was happy to see that she looked both grown-up and feminine in it. She just wished she was more comfortable wearing it.

Not to mention facing Abed in it.

Taking a deep breath, Annie turned away from her reflection, spit out her cinnamon gum (she and Abed had each chewed a piece), and left the bathroom. As she walked down the empty hallway, the click of her heels echoed off the lockers. Turning a corner, she watched the doors pass by until she reached the one she wanted and entered. Looking around, Annie couldn't help but marvel at the changes that she and Abed had wrought over the last half hour.

Abed's script was a dramatic story of two best friends. Because of the setting that he had come up with, the apartment wouldn't work. They needed an office. So, Abed had bartered one guest appearance on Troy and Abed in the Morning with Dean Pelton (Annie couldn't wait to see what Troy would say when he found out) for the use of his office and the right to rearrange it to more appropriately represent one that would be found in someone's house. Since the drama department was empty right now with no plays in the works, the two of them had snuck in and borrowed a few things that would help.

They had removed the dean's certificates and hung a couple of painting props. The guest chairs had gotten shoved out of the room and the couch moved to a spot against the wall next to the desk. It hadn't taken long to take care of those things, so the rest of the time was spent straightening and organizing the spare papers and office supplies left around the room. Annie had also taken the time to thoroughly disinfect the couch since they were going to shoot the scene on it. Thirty minutes after they had taken down the Dean's certificate for winning best costume at the 2008 Greendale Halloween dance, Annie had departed to change into her costume while Abed had arranged his four cameras around the room.

Annie was standing next to the couch staring at a strange harness hanging above it when Abed reentered the room.

"That camera is for closeup reaction shots," he explained flatly.

"Oh," she responded, still craning her neck to look at it. "Are you sure that the camera won't fall down? Getting knocked out would completely ruin the mood of the scene."

"I've used it multiple times. It will work. Lay down on the couch," he instructed.

Annie gulped. "Uh, I don't remember the script starting that way."

"It doesn't," he replied, a lightly confused expression on his face. "I need to make sure that the camera is focused on your face."

She blushed. "Oh, okay."

Being very careful not to wrinkle her dress or muss her hair, Annie sat down on the couch. Leaving her feet on the ground, she twisted her upper body and laid back so that she was looking up and out as she would during the scene. Abed climbed onto the free end of the couch and placed the camera in the harness. It took a few moments, but he eventually set it the way he wanted and climbed down.

"You can get back up."

Once Annie was standing, she finally took a good look at Abed. He was in a tux, and Annie couldn't tear her eyes off of him. He was gorgeous. Even so, she strangely found herself missing his usual style of T-shirts under plaid. He didn't quite look like himself in formalwear. She fought back jealousy as she watched him move around the room and double-check the placement of his other cameras. He seemed so at ease in the fancy clothing, unlike her and her hyper-awareness that her back was completely bare.

After Abed flipped on the last camera, he turned to Annie.

"Now we have to go outside, and we'll shoot the scene."

Annie nodded and followed him out. While she waited for his cue, she twisted her hands together nervously.

"Abed," she said to get his attention. When he looked at her, she blurted out, "We have to do this in one take. I don't think I can handle more than that. It's too embarrassing."

She fought back her blush as he stared intently at her. She wanted him to see her as a grown woman, and she _wasn't _chickening out, but her courage would only take her so far. She knew that one time of faking sexual situations with Abed was all she could handle. She was worried about how he would take her restriction, though, especially since it was his grade on the line.

"Okay. It shouldn't need more than that," he agreed. "Action."

Fixing an upset expression to her face, Annie got into character and ran into the office, slamming the door behind her. She came to a stop in front of the couch and wrapped her arms around her waist, taking what she hoped looked like pained breaths. Mere seconds later, she heard the door open again as Abed entered.

"Are you okay, Sarah?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

Amazed by how different he sounded when he was in character, Annie nearly forgot to reply. Luckily, when grades were involved, she simply couldn't fail.

"I'm fine, Naveed. I just need a few minutes to myself. You should go back to the party," she answered, choking slightly on the final word.

She was pretty proud of herself when she managed to drum up a few of the Disney tears that everyone always accused her of using to get her way. She always knew that talent had to be good for something more than getting Jeff to do the right thing. Annie steeled herself not to feel anything when Abed's hand landed on her shoulder and was happy when she didn't startle at all. She let him pull her around to face him. His dark brown eyes were warm.

"You're crying," he stated with a frown, wiping her tears away with his thumb. "What's wrong?"

Annie pulled away from his touch, tightening her crossed arms. "It's nothing. Please just go away."

"If you're sure," he said hesitantly.

He turned away, casting one final uncertain look at her, and slowly made his way back toward the door. She waited until he was at the door to speak her next line.

"Why haven't you asked her out yet?"

He paused, his hand on the doorknob, and turned back to her.

"Who?"

"Ashley. I saw how you were looking at her just now. You like her, don't you?" She waited for his nod to continue. "Then why haven't you asked her out?"

She stood there, gathering her nerve for the part that she knew came next and praying that it translated as anticipation of his answer onscreen. Abed covered the distance between them in three long strides. Cupping her face in both hands, he covered her lips with his.

The kiss was powerful and Annie's knees went weak in spite of herself. Closing her eyes, she wrapped her arms around his neck to hold herself steady and moved her lips against his. The entire time, she kept up a mantra: _It's not real. It's not real. _Luckily, the kiss was brief and Abed quickly pulled back. Annie opened her eyes to look up at him.

"Because I like you so much more."

Annie took her cue from his words and used the leverage of her arms still wrapped around his neck to yank him back down to her. Their lips met and meshed, and even though it wasn't real and Annie _knew _it wasn't real, she couldn't help but notice how well their lips molded together. The thought that truly kissing him would feel kind of perfect flitted through her head.

And then Abed was backing her up until her knees hit the couch. She sunk onto it without breaking contact just as she was supposed to, scooting to the back so that she was still facing forward toward the main camera, and Abed leaned over her, bracing himself on the arm. As he broke away from her lips to kiss her neck, Annie pulled her left leg onto the couch, leaving her right on the floor. Abed followed her movement to kneel between them. She ran her fingers up and into his hair. Taking hold of a few strands, she gently pulled him back up so that she could kiss him again. The movement also allowed him to angle his body so that her upper body was blocked from view. The entire time that Abed was kissing her, Annie kept up her mantra. She was terrified of what would happen if she stopped reminding herself that this was all fake.

When Abed unfastened her dress from around her neck, Annie momentarily forgot that this was a scene. She forgot that she had industrial strength double-sided tape on the tops of her breasts to hold the dress in place. All she felt was his long fingers brushing the nape of her neck, and then a cool breeze as her throat and collarbone were bared.

She knew that there was something she was supposed to do now, but she couldn't remember it when Abed's lips yet again moved from hers to her neck. He kissed a trail down to her collarbone where he sucked lightly. She shivered. She didn't remember that part of the script. Leaving one hand on the back of her neck, Abed brushed the other down the side of her breasts to entwine with hers. When he moved her hand to the front of his jacket, Annie suddenly recalled her role.

Sitting up slightly but so that she was still hidden to maintain the illusion that she was topless, Annie pushed Abed's tux jacket off, pulled his tie loose, and then set to work on his shirt buttons. When she popped the last one free, Abed pulled away from her long enough to get rid of it. Although this was a scene, Annie couldn't help but take in every inch of his smooth chest and tight abs. Who knew that Abed was hiding those under his T-shirts? She certainly didn't remember him looking so appealing two years ago when he had stripped down looking for her purple pen. But then, her attention had been focused mainly on the pen and a little on Jeff at the time.

_It's not real_, Annie reminded herself as she buried one hand in his hair and ran the other down his muscled back and drew him to her. _It's not real._

Abed's lips met hers again and Annie's eyelids fell so that her eyes were mere slits. When she felt his lithe fingers slip through the slit of her skirt and grasp her thigh, she gasped. Abed took immediate advantage and deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue into her mouth for the first time. Her mantra was lost, and Annie's eyes drifted completely closed. The silky feel of his tongue and the taste of cinnamon gum and something completely Abed caused a stirring in her core. She wanted him there, so when he dug his fingers into her inner thigh, Annie didn't resist. She immediately curled her leg around his hip, the dress falling to the side and baring her skin. He stroked down her thigh and Annie moaned, squirming to get closer to him.

And then he was gone. Before Annie even realized what was happening, Abed had pulled away and climbed off the couch. Sitting up in a slight daze, disappointment stirring, she stared up at him questioningly.

"I've got what I need," he declared in his normal monotone.

When she remembered his class and the scene and the fact that _it wasn't real_, Annie felt a crushing weight in her stomach. She watched Abed as he pulled on his shirt and dismantled his cameras. Annie quickly realized that he hadn't been at all affected by any of it. For him, it had been just another in-character kiss. It should have been the same for her, and she was devastated to realize that it wasn't.

"Once we fix the office, I'll start editing the footage and you can go home," he continued, completely oblivious to Annie's feelings. "Do you want to see it when I'm done?"

Swallowing down her hurt and the nausea that it caused, Annie shook her head. It wasn't Abed's fault that she had forgotten that their scene was just that - a scene. It wasn't even his fault that he didn't notice her pain since he wasn't the best with emotions and she knew that. But that didn't mean that she ever wanted to see the footage that he had gotten, nor did she want to know how he would edit it. She was afraid that if she ever watched it, she would be able to pinpoint the moment when she had gone from shooting a scene to simply making out with Abed. The memory of her foolishness was bad enough; she didn't need the visual proof.

"No thank you, Abed. I think seeing myself on screen like that would be far too mortifying," she said, proud that she kept her voice steady. "Actually, if you want to get started on editing, I'd be happy to set Dean Pelton's office back to rights on my own."

When she noticed that Abed was studying her again, she averted her gaze and focused on refastening the top of her dress. Once her upper chest was covered again, Annie rose from the couch. Expression steadied, she looked at Abed who was still watching her.

"It's okay, Abed. I don't mind clearing up on my own. I imagine that editing is a time-consuming process, so you should get started now. You don't want to miss your due date."

She managed to force a smile. That was one expression that Abed understood, and, luckily, he could never tell fake from real.

"It can take awhile," he agreed. "I might not be home for dinner."

"It's okay. Do what you need to do. After all this work, you should make sure you get a good grade."

Gathering up his multiple cameras, Abed paused on his way out to glance at her one last time, reminding her so much of his character's actions in the scenes that the pain swelled up again.

"Thank you, Annie," he said, a hint of sincerity in his tone.

Once he was gone, Annie shut the door quietly and then sat back down on the couch.

"You're welcome, Abed," she murmured softly.

Then she let the hurt out in real tears.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

As the memories of that day swarmed through her, Annie felt the old hurt and nausea rise.

"Oh, Annie," Shirley said softly.

The sound of her voice jolted Annie back to the present, and she stood up so quickly that she nearly knocked her chair over. She needed to escape the room and the eyes that she could feel on her. She felt too bare, too vulnerable. She felt like she was going to throw up. Carefully avoiding meeting anyone's gaze, especially Abed's, Annie addressed the group.

"I think I need a bathroom break. I'll be back in a few minutes."

She only made it three steps before chaos broke out. They were all talking so loudly and rapidly that Annie couldn't understand anyone.

"Wait, Annie!"

Britta's voice sounded out above all the others, causing them to quiet down. Annie glanced back at her.

"You can't leave the story there! It's so sad. Give us some hope that things get better," she pleaded.

Annie hesitated.

"At least tell us when the next part took place."

Annie really wanted to be alone, so she didn't fight Britta on the spoiler this time.

"Halloween."

"During paintball?" Jeff questioned. "But we were all here for that."

"You weren't around for everything," Annie replied before dashing out of the room.

A/N 2: Again, sorry if any of this seems OOC. I personally could see Abed doing everything in this chapter (he really doesn't seem to have shame about sexual stuff other than his own uncertainty in his appeal) just as I could see Annie dealing with sex scenes (even though she doesn't want to) if it meant helping him with his class, but your mileage may vary on both of these. Also, the four scenes that I chose for Annie to use to teach Abed were the only four that I could think of that had a softer edge to them and no real nudity. Also, sorry there was so little of the study group in this chapter, but they'll play a much larger part in the next one. Thank you for reading and please review!


	5. Humanitarian Efforts

Spoilers: Anything up to and including the season three finale, 'Introduction to Finality'. In fact, several of the scenes in that episode's final montage will find their way into this story as I provide my own events that lead up to them.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. If I had any claim on Community, Abed would be all mine.

A/N: All of Halloween/paintball was supposed to be in this chapter, but it ended up way too long, so I'm splitting it in two. Most of this chapter will probably seem like filler, but it's setup for the events of the next chapter. The action really picks up in then. I'll try to get that up as quickly as possible since the two chapters go together. Luckily, I know exactly what I want in chapter six, so hopefully the writing will flow smoothly. Plus, I only have a short shift today and tomorrow off. As usual, I'd like to thank my reviewers: XcrazyrandomhappenstanceX (the site won't let me include the periods without deleting your entire name from the chapter), alyssa305, harukasan0084, Yuleira, The Alternative Source, Lucy36, Jade, MarchesaLace, jack the shmee, and gumiho18. I love my regular reviewers, but I also love hearing from new people. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Please read and review! Thanks!

Chapter Five: Humanitarian Efforts

_Ladies' Restroom  
Present Day_

Annie clenched the edge of the sink and tried to calm her nausea. There was no logical reason why those memories should have unhinged her the way they had. She had probably just underestimated exactly how painful it would be to relive something so private in front of the rest of the group.

"Are you okay, pumpkin?"

Looking up into the mirror, Annie saw Shirley standing behind her, concern on her face. Taking a deep breath, Annie nodded.

"I'm fine, Shirley. I just needed a minute alone," she reassured the older woman, holding her voice as steady as she could.

Stepping up next to her, Shirley rubbed Annie's arm in a consoling way.

"So that day was when you realized that you had deeper feelings for Abed?" she asked softly.

Surprised, Annie could only stare at her via the mirror.

Shirley smiled gently. "I've been around long enough to recognize the look on your face when you covered the aftereffects of shooting the scene. It probably just seems like you weren't dealing with rejection well or had a simple crush on Abed to the others, but I know better. That was no mere crush."

A tear leaked out of Annie's eye at her knowledgeable words and kind tone. Letting go of the sink, she turned to face the other woman and speak to her directly.

"Don't tell Abed," she pleaded before explaining, "I don't think he knows, and I don't want him to feel pressured."

"I'll keep it to myself," Shirley promised.

"Thank you," Annie said gratefully before reluctantly adding, "You don't know everything yet, either, Shirley. I haven't even gotten to all the Jeff stuff."

Shirley pursed her lips but refrained from lecturing her, for which she was grateful.

"Your love life is extremely complicated, Annie," she merely stated.

Annie shook her head, more for herself than Shirley.

"You have no idea."

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Sorry, guys," Annie apologized when she and Shirley retook their seats. "I'm ready to continue."

"Are you sure, Annie?" Britta asked. "You still look a little green."

Annie nodded and then frowned when she noticed that Troy was leaning over the table to look at her.

"I don't think she looks green, Britta. She looks normal colored," he finally declared, settling back in his chair.

Rubbing her temples in exasperation, Britta replied, "It's a saying, Troy. Annie's not actually green."

Annie couldn't help but smile. During her time living with them, she had learned that they got on each other's nerves as often as they shared tender moments. It was a nice balance; it made it so that they weren't completely insufferable.

"Abed won't let me see the scene you shot," Pierce whined, looking at Annie. "Just because you don't want to watch it doesn't mean the rest of us don't."

Color flooded Annie's face. The thought of anyone seeing that scene was mortifying, but especially Pierce. He wouldn't be able to help but make horrible comments. Annie was smart enough to know that even her status as his favorite wouldn't save her from that humiliation.

"I should hope not!" Shirley exclaimed. "None of us need to see that if Annie is uncomfortable with it. I do want to know if you passed, though, Abed."

"I did. It was one of my highest grades last semester," he explained in monotone.

Startled, Annie glanced over at him to find that he was watching her. She had known that he had passed, but she hadn't known that he had done that well.

"Really?" she asked.

He nodded silently.

Annie allowed a small smile to curve her lips. She wanted to believe that she had been at least partially responsible for his good grade.

The sound of Jeff slamming his phone down on the table yet again drew her gaze.

"Yes, Jeff?" she asked wearily. She was really getting tired of his less than supportive attitude today.

"Can we just get on with the story?" he practically growled. "What happened with you and Abed during paintball?"

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"What is wrong with you today?"

Surprisingly, the words came from Britta. Annie was glad because she was about to point out that Jeff was just jealous again. She also wanted to make it clear to him that he was part of the reason Halloween was important. Maybe then he'd stop acting like a jerk.

"I don't understand why we're wasting our time listening to this story when we already know her secret," he complained. "She should just skip to the ending so that we can get out of here."

"No!" Troy cried. "That's cheating!"

"You were the one asking for the ending earlier," Jeff pointed out.

"I was just impatient. I wouldn't have been happy if they had actually _told _me," he explained.

"I'm also enjoying the story," Shirley informed them.

"Yeah," Britta agreed. "You're the only one who's complaining. Even Pierce has been respectful." She glanced at him and caught his proud smile. "Well, respectful for Pierce."

Jeff scowled and picked his phone back up. "Whatever. Just get on with it."

Annie frowned at his rudeness, even though she knew why he wasn't a fan of the Abed sections, but continued her story anyway.

"October passed pretty quickly. Between work, school, homework, and joining back up with the debate team, I didn't have a lot of spare time to dwell on anything. I was really looking forward to Halloween simply because it was actually a free night. Shirley closed down the sandwich stand so that I could have the night off, and Greendale professors never assign homework on Halloween. We all had plans to hang out and attend that afternoon's Halloween festival that was scheduled in place of the dance, and then Abed, Britta, Troy, and I were going to watch scary movies. I was really looking forward to it. We didn't know what Dean Pelton had planned, although his ban on costumes because 'the inner self is the scariest thing of all' probably should have tipped us off."

ooooo

_Wednesday, October 31, 2012_

"Troy! Stop it! You've had enough," Annie scolded, reaching for the tiny box of Whoppers that Troy was opening.

"I'll say when I've had enough, Annie," he responded, backing away from her.

Annie frowned as she wondered when Britta would get back from running their backpacks to her car. Troy was being difficult as he often was when he was hyped up on sugar, and she could use the other woman's help. He and Abed had raided the various candy bowls set out around the campus every time they walked past them that day, so they were currently on a sugar rush. That wasn't a problem with Abed; he just spoke a little faster than usual but was otherwise unaffected. Troy, however, had turned into a complete brat, bouncing around the campus and interfering in everyone's conversations, even when they had nothing to do with him. It was definitely time for him to crash already. She contemplated the best way to get the candy from him.

"Troy," Annie said sweetly. "If you give me the candy, I'll tell you an extra-special scary story during story time tonight."

"No," he said stubbornly, gripping tighter to the box. "I don't need your story because we're going to watch movies."

Pressing the heels of her hands into her forehead where she could feel a sharp ache forming, Annie groaned. Troy was a 22 year-old man. He shouldn't act like a toddler every time he had too much sugar. She removed her hands.

"Okay, Troy. Your manchild personality is usually adorable, but I've got to tell you that my patience for it today is just about gone. You are not five years old, so stop acting like it!" she commanded.

She knew the words were harsh, but being nice wasn't working. Maybe he needed her to be blunt.

Tears welled up in Troy's eyes.

"That was really mean, Annie," he sobbed.

Then again, maybe not. Annie instantly felt awful that she had made her friend cry.

"I'm sorry, Troy!" she exclaimed. "I didn't mean it! You know that I love your childlike enthusiasm."

"I need a hug," he mumbled out dejectedly.

Annie didn't hesitate to move forward and wrap her arms around his waist. When he hugged her tightly back, she mused that she would have given anything to be in his arms like this in high school, and now she felt nothing but the warmth of friendship. It was amazing how things could change in three short years.

Annie let go and backed out of Troy's embrace. She looked up at him.

"I really am sorry, Troy. I shouldn't have said that," she apologized again remorsefully.

He brushed a tear away from his cheek, a sheepish expression on his face.

"I probably shouldn't have any more candy today. If you're angry at me, then I must be acting pretty badly, and that will make Britta mad," he theorized. He glanced down at the open box of Whoppers and then held them out to Abed, who had been watching the entire exchange impassively. "Here, Abed. Take these away from me. And don't let me have any more candy today."

"Cool," Abed agreed, taking the chocolate and finishing it off.

"Don't tell Britta," Troy whispered as the blonde came into sight.

"I'm back!" she announced, coming to a stop next to Troy. She looked around the group, confusion flooding her face as she noticed their expressions. "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing," Annie assured her, smiling at Troy, who looked worried. "Troy just decided that he's had enough candy for today."

She kind of expected Abed to blow things by summarizing like he usually did, but he kept silent. Annie aimed a grateful smile in his direction only to receive a nearly imperceptible nod in return.

"What do you think Pelton's announcing?" Jeff asked, pushing through the crowd behind them.

When he stopped so close to Annie that she could feel his body heat, she shifted forward uncomfortably. She held back a sigh when he followed her.

Jeff had been acting strange lately. Over the past three weeks, Annie had noticed him watching her more. He always had a contemplative expression on his face that made her nervous. She had also taken note of the fact that he was touching her often. They were innocent touches, like when their arms brushed together while they were standing next to each other; the sort of contact that Jeff would classify as insignificant moments. Even though it was probably nothing, she was completely unnerved by the new development. She was already suppressing an unwanted attraction for Abed; the last thing she needed was a resurgence in her attraction to Jeff.

"I don't know," Britta answered. "Did you get the packet they were passing out at the doors?"

"Yeah."

Annie frowned as she looked over at the sheaf of papers that Abed was holding in the hand that wasn't clutching Troy's candy. He had grabbed one on the way through for the three of them. Annie had been so busy corralling the hyper Troy that she hadn't had a chance to look through it yet.

"What's it say?" she asked Abed.

He tucked the empty Whoppers box in his jeans pocket and leafed through the handout.

"It's a list of numbers with seven names under each."

"The study group is number twelve," Shirley contributed, joining them. "I'm not sure what that means though."

Annie smiled at her in welcome, but it faded with Pierce's appearance.

"This Halloween sucks. If there's no hot chicks in tiny costumes, what's the point?" he asked, looking thoroughly disgruntled.

"Pierce!" Annie scolded him.

"Well it does!" he griped.

When Jeff's hand landed on the small of her back as he was jostled forward by the crowd, Annie squeaked. She scooted to the side so that she was closer to Abed and out of easy range of Jeff's hands. Unfortunately, this just placed her close enough to Abed that she could smell the spicy scent of his aftershave. Stomach knotted, Annie was thrilled when Dean Pelton, dressed in a surprisingly subdued black parka over black slacks, took the stage. The outfit looked familiar to her.

"Good Deaning!" he called into his mic. "I'm sure you're all wondering about the change in Halloween plans this year. First, let me assure you that we will have a costume dance later this year! And now to today's main event!"

There was movement at the front of the crowd. Annie tried to look over the heads of the people in front of her, but she was too short. Reaching over, she braced herself on Abed's arm to keep her balance and raised on her toes so that she could see what was going on. She watched as several faculty members pushed in large wheel barrows of paintball supplies. Stunned and a little excited, Annie checked out the dean's outfit again. Dropping back down, she smacked Abed's arm. He looked down at her, slight curiosity on his face.

"It's The Hunger Games!" she squealed. "He's wearing the arena uniform from the movie. We're playing Hunger Games themed paintball!"

Before Abed and Troy had dragged her to the movie, Annie had never even heard of The Hunger Games series. Abed had insisted that the movie was going to be a modern pop culture phenomenon and that it was important that he be present so that he could observe mass fan hysteria for future reference. Annie had really enjoyed the movie and continued on to read the series. She just had so much love for the characters and the revolution Katniss had accidentally sparked and then fought for. The romance in the books was just an extra aspect that dragged her into the story. So the idea of paintball inspired by the series was exciting.

"That explains the lists," Abed said.

"It's time for our annual paintball game!" Dean Pelton shouted enthusiastically. "This year, we have a Hunger Games twist. You've been split into teams of seven. You can find your team assignment on the handouts that Professor Duncan and Professor Whitman have been giving out. The game ends when only one team is left. I will grant any request of each surviving team member as long as it is in my power to do so. And I promise not to alter the rules at the end, unlike those sneaky gamemakers."

A murmuring ran through the crowd. From what Annie could gather, nobody actually believed that anything would be within Dean Pelton's power. They didn't seem all that excited about the offered reward. She knew that wouldn't stop them from being completely cutthroat once the game started, though.

"I know, I know! I'm magnificent," the dean bragged, misinterpreting the crowd's response. He stepped off stage and then back on, holding a small gong. "Now, when I ring this gong, you'll have sixty seconds to collect your supplies and find your teammates. When I ring the gong a second time, the game starts."

"We're all together, right?" Britta asked, staring around at the study group.

Shirley checked her paper. "Yes. All seven of us. We're team twelve."

"Twelve?" Jeff asked, his tone insulted. "Does he think we're going to lose?"

"No!" Annie said, practically bouncing in excitement. "He wants us to win! We're district twelve. They won in the book."

"Guys. He's about to ring the gong," Troy said, panic in his voice. "Where are we going to meet?"

Keeping her voice to a whisper since there were other people nearby, Annie said, "Study room. Anyone who gets split off on their own should try to make their way back to the study room. The rest of us will meet up there when we can. Sound good?"

She was met with six nods, and not a moment too soon.

The sound of a gong rang out and the crowd rushed forward.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Why are you telling us this? We were there," Jeff interjected.

"You know what would get the story over more quickly?" Annie asked, her tone dripping with frustration. "If you'd stop interrupting me."

The true answer to his question was that Annie wouldn't feel right jumping straight into the most important parts of the day. Each incident built on the last one to bring about the two important events that she certainly hadn't seen coming when the game had began.

"Maybe if you'd stop telling irrelevant tangents, we'd get out of here," Jeff argued.

Before Annie could shriek with annoyance, Abed broke in.

"The story requires a proper setup or else the audience will be confused," he explained robotically.

"What audience?" Jeff questioned. "_We're _the only audience and we were there."

"I want to hear it the way she's telling it," Troy piped up. "She makes it entertaining."

"Yes, Jeffrey. Leave her alone and let her tell her story the way she wants," Shirley added.

"Fine," Jeff sighed, defeated. "What happened next?"

Ignoring Jeff's muttered, 'as if I don't already know,' Annie smiled at the rest of her friends.

"Okay, so after we all met in the study room, we decided to give it a few minutes and head back to the cafeteria to scrounge for any spare supplies."

ooooo

_Wednesday, October 31, 2012_

Annie came to a stop behind Abed, her eyes sweeping the hallway for any movement while he peeked around the door into the cafeteria. The rest of their friends were sneaking along behind them, equally alert for threats. They had spent the last ten minutes in the study room quietly arguing over their travel order for their trip to the cafeteria. After a lot of debate, they had finally agreed that Abed, as the most observant team member and strongest shooter, would lead the group with Annie, the third most skilled, following behind him as his backup. Since Jeff had the second greatest ability, he was bringing up the rear. The rest were scattered between them, Troy serving as a sharpshooter. He rarely noticed other players, but when they were pointed out, he was quick to bring them down.

"I don't see anything," Abed whispered as Britta and Pierce joined them. "We should be okay, but we should stay cautious."

With that, he entered the room, gun at the ready. Annie relayed his message to the others as the rest of their group made it to the door before following him in carefully. When Abed reached the mostly ravaged wheel barrows, he started searching for useful items. The rest of them, minus Jeff who was guarding the doors, spread out to scan the rest of the room for anything that may have been dropped or hidden. Annie, leaving the item hunting to her teammates, walked a wary circle around the perimeter. Her skin was prickling, and she knew that things were entirely too quiet. There should have been other teams following their strategy because paintballs were like gold in their current situation.

When Annie neared the sandwich stand and momentarily grimaced at the work she'd have to do to clean up later since it had apparently been wrecked during the mad rush for supplies, she paused as she heard a slight sniffle. Holding completely still, she listened closely. When the noise sounded again, she pinpointed the source as hiding behind the counter. Glancing over her shoulder, she caught the attention of the person nearest her, Shirley, and signaled for her to join her. Communicating wordlessly for Shirley to back her, Annie approached the stand and glanced around the counter. What she saw made her lower her gun and reveal herself.

"Garrett?" she questioned. "What's going on? What are you still doing here?"

Garrett, her most regular sandwich customer and beneficiary of multiple rallies, was cowering behind the counter with three children hiding behind him and a sobbing toddler wrapped in his arms. There wasn't a weapon in sight.

"Annie?" he asked, relief lighting up his face. "Thank God it's you. I work in the daycare center, and I brought the kids down here for the festival. By the time the dean announced the paintball game, the crowd was too large and we couldn't get past them to the doors. My team ditched me here because they said that the kids are dead weight. We've been hiding here since the second gong. I need to get them back to the daycare center so that their parents can pick them up."

"Are you unarmed?"

He nodded. "I was focused on getting them somewhere safe before the shooting started. Could you...?"

Whatever he was going to say was cut off by Jeff's shouted warning followed by the sound of gunfire. Annie heard her friends scrambling behind her. Spinning around, she saw a team of three familiar-looking students storming the room as her friends scattered. One took aim at her, and Annie quickly dropped to the ground as a paintball exploded above her head. Raising her gun, she quickly fired, orange paint blossoming across the woman's shin. Out of the game, she slumped out of the room, quickly followed by her two companions, who had been taken out by Abed and Pierce (who was now loudly celebrating his contribution).

"Everyone okay?" Annie asked, climbing to her feet and brushing off the front of her skirt.

The study group gathered in the center of the room to assess the damage. Luckily, everyone was still paint-free.

"We need to get out of here," Jeff pointed out. "That was only the first group, but there are bound to be more coming. All of the teams will want to find spare supplies before they're all gone."

"We can't leave yet," Annie argued, walking over to the sandwich stand. "We have to help Garrett."

"Annie?" Britta questioned in confusion. "Garrett's not on our team. Why would we help him?"

"He's unarmed," Annie announced, gesturing for her favorite customer to stand up. "So don't shoot him."

An uncertain expression on his face, the awkward man stood carefully to avoid dropping the crying toddler that he was trying to soothe.

"Is that a child?" Shirley inquired in a shocked tone.

"Children," Annie corrected leading Garrett and his charges from behind the counter. "He brought them down here for the festival and got trapped when the crowd blocked the doors."

"So?" Jeff asked indifferently, texting quickly before putting his phone away. "The doors are unblocked now so he can take the rugrats back to the daycare room."

"That's what he wants to do," Annie agreed, frowning at him, "because their parents will eventually come for them when they're disqualified from the game, but he can't without help."

"Sure he can," Jeff disagreed. "The room's only a couple of halls over."

"Jeff, it's chaos out there right now," Britta pointed out, having caught onto Annie's point. "They're shooting anything that moves."

"And?"

"The children are innocent civilians, Jeff!" Annie exclaimed, marching over to him and craning her neck to stare him down. "Plus, paintballs are painful and these kids are so little. They need our help to get to safety so that they don't get hurt. Garrett doesn't even have a weapon to protect them on the way back."

"I still don't see why we have to get involved," Jeff said, an unhappy expression on his face. "We'd be risking our places in the game for no reason."

"Well, I'm going," Annie insisted stubbornly. "Some things are more important than winning a prize." She looked around at the group. "Is anyone else willing to help me?"

"An escort mission?" Troy asked, excitement lighting his eyes. "I'm in."

"Me, too," Pierce offered. "That makes me better than Jeff, right?"

Britta snickered. "Well, if Pierce is going then I have to go, too. Can't be outdone by him."

"I know if they were my babies, I would hope that someone would be willing to protect them," Shirley declared. "So of course, I'll help."

"Escort missions are classic tropes in both movies and video games," Abed stated blankly. "They often have to be finished to proceed with the plot. This one is no different."

Annie smiled around at her friends for rising to the occasion even though they had nothing to gain from it. Her expression dimmed when her gaze landed on Jeff. Meeting his eyes, she widened hers in the way that he could rarely ever resist.

"Jeff? Please?" she pleaded. "It'll be so much easier with your help."

Jeff sighed. "Fine. But after this, we plan a strategy that actually helps us win."

"Agreed," Annie beamed.

Their team arranged themselves around Garrett and the kids. Once they were sure that they were well-protected, the large group left the room. Their movement through the hallway was slow because of the children's tiny steps. Luckily, they didn't encounter any interference and reached the daycare center without seeing any other students.

Once inside, the kids hurried away to play with their toys. Garrett turned to the study group.

"Thank you so much for your help," he said gratefully, stroking the back of the toddler comfortingly. "Now their parents will actually be able to come get them."

As if on cue, the door to the room, which was shut with Troy guarding it, flew open and an unfamiliar man with a large blue blotch across his chest entered.

"Hey, Garrett," he addressed the daycare worker cheerfully. "I'm here to take Laura home."

"Daddy!"

Annie watched as a little girl who was probably four or five years old ran up to him and gave him a hug.

"Sure, Brad. See you tomorrow, Laura," Garrett said, setting the toddler down with a friendly smile aimed toward the girl.

She giggled and took her dad's hand. Brad headed toward the door, nodding at Abed in greeting as he passed. Once they had left, Troy shutting the door behind them, Annie took Troy's place to watch them through the window. Behind her, her team was arguing over how they should proceed now. Jeff was saying that they should stake out the restrooms when Annie saw the first paintball fly at the father-daughter pair in the hallway. Several more quickly followed. When one hit little Laura in the arm, the force pushed her into her dad and she started crying. Absolutely horrified by what she was witnessing, Annie opened the door, ignoring Britta's yell for her to stop, and hurried toward the pair. Dodging paintballs, she quickly aimed and took down the lone assailant. The stranger stopped firing, allowing Brad to carry his crying daughter out of the building. Annie stormed over to the shooter.

"What is wrong with you? He wasn't even in the game and you shot his daughter! You don't fire at children!" she yelled down at the man who was crouched against the wall.

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized quickly, raising his hands in surrender.

Annie reached down and pulled his pistol out of his hand.

"I'm taking this, and I suggest you leave. _Now._"

Clearly knowing a threat when he heard one, the man scurried away. Annie turned in the direction of the daycare. She was surprised to find Abed standing at the door, alert and watching her back for her. When she reached him, he moved to the side, allowing her to pass before he followed her in, pulling the door closed.

"He shot her!" Annie exclaimed as soon as she was inside. "She was just a kid and some jerk shot her just because she was in the hall."

"Calm down, Annie," Jeff commanded her. "It was a paintball, not a bullet."

"That's not the point, Jeff! She started crying, and she's probably going to have a huge bruise now. That can't happen again," she insisted.

Jeff groaned. "You want to stay here until all of the kids are gone, don't you?"

"I think we have to," Annie admitted. "Someone has to protect them."

He shook his head. "We can't camp out here all night. Who knows how long it'll take for the rest of their parents to show up? If we're going to win, we have to actually get out there and start taking people down."

"Fine. Don't stay. I'm a grown woman; I can handle it on my own," Annie asserted. "I just can't lose another one of the kids. They're innocent; they weren't meant to wear paint."

There was silence for a moment as Jeff and Annie stared each other down. Then he sighed.

"Do what you have to," he finally allowed, reluctance strong in his voice. "The rest of us have work to do. Stay alive, Annie."

"You too, Jeff," she said softly.

With one final lingering gaze, he quickly opened the door and entered the hallway. Britta, Pierce, and Shirley followed him out, casting sad looks at Annie. She could tell that they didn't expect to see her still in the game again. Troy and Abed started to follow them, but Abed hesitated just short of the door. When Troy realized that his best friend was no longer next to him, he stopped and turned around.

"Abed?" he asked, confused.

Annie walked around Abed to stand in front of him. He had his head tilted to the side, a distant expression on his face.

"Abed?" she questioned, bewildered by why he hadn't left yet.

He focused his eyes on Troy. "You should go. I'm staying here."

"What?" Troy asked. "You can't! You're supposed to stick with me. We're partners!"

"I can't abandon Annie," he explained emotionlessly. "That scenario never works in movies unless the abandoned character is the main protagonist. Since Jeff fills that role in our story, leaving Annie here would be sentencing her to certain death."

Touched that he was trying to prevent her paintball death, Annie nonetheless felt guilty. Abed was their team's best fighter and she figured that he would quickly get bored guarding the daycare. Laying a hand on his arm, she drew his attention to her.

"While I appreciate the sentiment, Abed, this isn't your cause. You should go with Troy. I'll meet you guys in the study room later," she reassured him, although she knew there was a good chance that he was right and she wouldn't survive her mission.

"I've run the scenarios. Pairs that stay behind make it back alive nearly 80% of the time, and at least one of them survives every time. I'm staying."

"But..." she protested, only for him to cut her off.

"We can't afford to lose you, Annie," he said, something unfamiliar flashing through his eyes.

If it were anyone else, Annie would have said that unfamiliar emotion was desperation, but that didn't make sense. His next words were perfectly logical, however.

"You're our secret weapon. The other students don't know how good you are, and they underestimate you due to your feminine style."

Annie smiled at the compliment. "Okay. If you think that's what's best for the group."

"Then I'll stay too," Troy insisted.

"No, you have to go. Britta's counting on you," Abed stated.

Troy looked torn, but he eventually nodded.

"I'll see you in the study room when you're done here," he conceded.

"Yeah."

Abed and Troy exchanged their signature handshake and then Troy hurried out of the room, shutting the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, the first thing Abed did was turn around and shoot Garrett in the leg. Annie shrieked.

"Why did you do that?" she yelled, running over to Garrett, who was rolling up his pant leg, to make sure he was okay.

"Because I knew you wouldn't," Abed enlightened her expressionlessly. "I had to take him out of the game because we can't win until someone shoots him."

Put that way, Annie understood the reason behind his choice, but she still felt awful. She watched Abed take up a guard spot next to the door.

"That was still a terrible betrayal of his trust, Abed," she said to his profile, kneeling next to Garrett to make sure that his leg was alright.

"It's fine, Annie," he told her, pulling his pant leg back down before she could get a good look. "He's right, and I want you to win. You helped me when my own team abandoned me."

"Okay," she said uncertainly. "If you're absolutely sure."

Even though Garrett seemed fine with it, Annie felt awful for Abed's unexpected attack. An idea came to her.

"What were you going to ask for if you won?" she questioned curiously.

"I wanted to have the library stay open until ten on weeknights," he replied instantly. "I'm never done with my homework by eight. What are you going to ask for?"

"I don't know," she confessed. "So how about if I win, I'll make your request?"

He looked stunned.

"You would do that?"

Annie nodded. "I have nothing else to ask for."

"Thank you," Garrett said reverently before joining the kids.

Annie joined Abed at the door. She stood opposite him, watching the other side of the hallway.

As the silence settled between them, broken only by the happy laughter and squeals of the group behind them, Annie's eyes slid to Abed's face of their own volition. She took in the sharp line of his nose, his strong jaw, and his large dark eyes. As the warmth of his presence filled her, she felt the distinct urge to run her thumbs along his well-defined cheekbones. She was contemplating the consequences of following through on the impulse when Abed met her eyes. Annie ignored her rising blush and directed her gaze back into the hallway.

"What?" Abed asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

She contemplated whether to answer the question before deciding _why not? _He had already caught her staring at him, so there wasn't much she could do to make the situation more embarrassing.

"I'm just glad I'm not alone," she said softly and sincerely, even though that wasn't what she had actually been thinking.

When he graced her with a rare smile, Annie said a silent prayer of thanks that the wall was there to hold her up.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"So that's why you stayed behind," Britta mused thoughtfully. "I always wondered about that."

Annie frowned. "But Abed explained it to Troy before he left. Did he not tell you?"

Britta shrugged. "By the time Troy caught up with us, he was crying so hard that everything he said was a jumbled mess. We actually thought Abed had gotten shot until later."

"Crybaby," Pierce muttered under his breath, shooting a glance at Troy.

Scrunched down in his chair, Troy glowered at him. "I can hear you, you know."

"That's why I said it," Pierce asserted.

"You two are adults. Act like it," Shirley demanded in her sternest mom voice.

A disgruntled noise came from Jeff's direction. Annie turned away from Pierce and Troy, who were still glaring at each other, to face him instead, mentally preparing for another argument about the length of her story. She was surprised to find him scowling at Abed.

"Yes, Jeff?" Abed asked in a monotone, having obviously noticed his attention.

"You just always have to act like the big damn hero, don't you?" the older man asked in a heated voice.

Annie felt her jaw drop at the sheer anger in his tone. What was his problem? She might have suspected jealousy, but that didn't seem likely. She and Jeff didn't currently have a relationship. Maybe he was angry because Halloween had been a big day for the two of them and he felt like Abed had stolen some of its importance. Sighing, Annie buried her face in her hands. Maybe it wasn't either of those things so much as it was the realization that she hadn't been sitting around pining for him the way she knew he thought she had. After all, she had never told anyone about anything that had happened with Abed before today. Given her history with Jeff, was it really surprising that he wasn't handling the revelations well? Another thought struck. What if he had figured out that she had real feelings for Abed since their scene like Shirley had? That would certainly explain his sudden anger.

"It was in Annie's best interests if someone stayed with her. Since you didn't volunteer, I did," Abed explained blankly. "I don't see what the problem is."

Annie looked up to see that Jeff was clenching his jaw tightly as if he was trying to hold back further irate words. Before he could lose that battle, she decided to jump in.

"And if you'll remember, it was a good thing that he stayed too."

A/N 2: End part one of the paintball game. Come back for part two in chapter six!


	6. Complications

Spoilers: Anything up to and including the season three finale, 'Introduction to Finality'. In fact, several of the scenes in that episode's final montage will find their way into this story as I provide my own events that lead up to them.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. If I had any claim on Community, Abed would be all mine.

A/N: Onto the final half of the paintball game. I hope you enjoy it because I've had these scenes planned ever since I started writing. And for those wondering, I'm being purposely vague about the state of Annie and Abed's relationships in the present. But don't worry, I do know all of Annie's secrets and all of the big events that will be featured in the story leading to them; I've known those parts of the plot since before I started writing the story. So, your questions will be answered eventually. As usual, I'd like to thank my reviewers: Lucy36, MarchesaLace, Jade, The Alternative Source, XcrazyrandomhappenstanceX, alyssa305, serotonic, Miss Milly, Mr. High-and-Almighty, and MC-Aitlyn. Thank you so much for your wonderful reviews. They help inspire me to write! I'd love to hear from more of my readers, too. Please read and review! Thanks!

Chapter Six: Complications

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Are you finally going to tell us what happened while you and Abed were separated from us?" Britta asked curiously. "I know I've asked before, but the two of you haven't exactly been forthcoming with the details."

Annie felt the color creep up her cheeks. "Um. That's because it wasn't exactly my finest moment. As you know, there is one particular City College student who has snuck into our last two paintball games. Pierce took him out second year and someone else got him last year before any of us even ran into him. However, this year..."

She trailed off, and Abed took up the thread of the story.

"The Black Rider found us."

"He did?" Shirley questioned with a gasp. "And you survived?"

"Wait. Was City College trying to take over again?" Britta inquired.

Her blush deepened as she explained, "I'll tell you what happened, but _dear God_, do not interrupt me until I'm done. This will be embarrassing enough without that."

ooooo

_Wednesday, October 31, 2012_

With a sigh, Annie smoothed the front of her skirt down over her thighs and stared at Abed, who was still guarding the door. They had been stuck in the daycare center for two hours. So far, Annie had escorted two families to the outside doors down the hall. Each time, Abed had stood at the door to the room, scanning the hallway for any threats that might sneak up on her. He had taken down two passing students and she had caught one that was staking out the exit. None of the children had gotten hurt thanks to their efforts, and now they were down to one. Which was great because Annie was bored.

She had never done well with free time. That was part of the reason why she loved studying so much; it meant she always had something to occupy her. Now, though, she was stuck in a room with absolutely nothing to do. Abed was in full on alert mode, so he wasn't exactly conversational at the moment. Garrett, who had left his backpack here before the festival, was busy with his Ancient Civilization homework. Annie had never taken the class, so she couldn't help him. Even the three year-old had fallen asleep.

With nothing else to do, Annie had hoisted herself onto one of the tables in the room because it would be easier for her to respond that way if Abed saw anything. Unfortunately, the position gave her an excellent view of Abed. She had spent the last thirty minutes trying _not _to think about how great kissing him had been. Her mind was drifting when Abed shifted slightly to the side, gun at the ready. Annie snapped back to attention and picked up the pistol she had taken off that child-shooting jerk earlier.

When the door opened, Annie recognized Brandy from her Anatomy class. She had been shot from head to toe and was multi-colored. After the door shut behind her, Brandy cast a confused glance at Abed and then Annie.

"Annie?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

Sliding off the desk, Annie held her gun loosely at her side.

"We've been protecting the kids and escorting families out of the school," she explained. "What happened to you?"

Brandy stared down at herself and laughed. "A few of the new Glee club members caught me coming out of the bathroom. They were ruthless."

Moving away, the other woman bent down and lifted her sleeping child.

"Thanks, Garrett," she said. He nodded absently, not lifting his eyes from his work.

"Are you ready?" Annie asked. "I'll take you to the exit while Abed guards our backs."

"Let's go."

Annie edged past Abed out the door, Brandy following closely behind her. As she led them to the exit, she kept her eyes open and scanning for any disturbances. When she saw them safely out without encountering anyone, Annie let out a relieved sigh. The kids had been safely taken care of and now she and Abed could meet back up with their team. Her moment of peace was shortly broken by a scream in the daycare room. Turning around, Annie saw that Abed had abandoned his position guarding her.

"Abed!" she yelled, sprinting back down the hallway.

She was halfway there when Garrett bolted out of the room and ran right past her in a blind panic. Worried, Annie picked up her speed and ran through the door, skidding to a halt. She felt a moment of shock when she saw that Abed was rolling around on the ground with a familiar blond man, trying to subdue him. She wasn't sure what she could possibly do to help, so she just watched until Abed pinned the guy to the ground face down.

"Annie, guns," he huffed out, breathing hard.

Hurrying forward, Annie bent down and quickly patted down the guy, removing two pistols from holsters on his hips and one that was tucked into the back of his waistband. When she was sure she had all of his guns, she straightened up and dropped them all, plus the one she was holding, on the table next to Garrett's homework.

"Okay," she told Abed. "Why didn't you just shoot him?"

"It's the Black Rider," he answered, slowly rising to his feet while maintaining control over the other man, who was cursing loudly. "We're taking him hostage."

Annie's eyes widened. He was from City College! What was he doing here? As Abed pulled him carefully to his feet, Annie dragged Garrett's abandoned chair into the center of the room. Abed pushed the Black Rider backward to the chair and then shoved him down in it. Once he was seated, Abed restrained his upper body by the shoulders and used his leg to hold his lower body in place. He looked over the man's head at Annie, who was still standing behind the chair.

"See if you can find something to tie him up with," he directed her.

Gulping, because _were they actually taking a man hostage?_, Annie scrambled around the room looking for suitable restraints. It took her a couple of minutes, but when she opened one of the storage closets to one side of the room, she found several sheets, likely for nap times. Pulling out the thinnest ones, and thus the easiest ones to tie, she carried them over to Abed, who was still holding the struggling, cursing Black Rider down. She couldn't help but be impressed that he seemed unaffected by the effort now that he'd recovered from the actual fight.

"Here," she said, offering him the sheets. "I hope these will work because I couldn't find anything else."

"Tie one of them around his chest and the chair," Abed instructed.

Annie dropped all but one on the floor and stepped forward, coming into the Black Rider's line of sight for the first time. When he looked up at her, he stopped cursing and his eyes widened.

"Bean Allergy?" he asked in disbelief.

She blushed at the sound of the unflattering nickname.

"Hello, Black Rider." She held the sheet up for him to see. "I'm afraid I have to tie you up now."

He aimed a rakish smile at her. "You can tie me up any time you want, sweetheart."

Her cheeks heated, Annie threaded one end of the sheet under Abed's arm so that it was behind the other man and then strung the sheet across his chest. Circling around Abed, she pulled the sheet all the way around their prisoner and knotted the ends together tightly in the center of his back. When she straightened, Abed let go and made quick work of binding his wrists and fastening his legs to those of the chair. Annie watched, amazed by how skilled he was with his hands. She briefly wondered what other things his hands might be skilled with.

_Bad Annie!_ This is not the time to think about _that!_

Annie dragged her thoughts onto more appropriate subjects as Abed gestured for her to follow him to the back of the room.

"We have to find out why he's here," he stated expressionlessly. "We need to know if City College is invading again. If they are, then I've been using the wrong tropes."

Annie bit her lip to contain her smile. It was so like Abed to take a man prisoner just to make sure that he had the correct plot elements.

"Okay," she agreed. "How do you plan to get information out of him?"

"Good cop, bad cop."

"Really? Isn't that a cliche?"

He stared at her for a moment before saying, "No. It's a classic strategy."

Annie nearly laughed when she realized that she had apparently insulted him. It was often hard to tell with Abed, but the barely-there expression on his face at the moment was definitely offense.

"So, you'll be the bad cop, then?" she asked to keep herself from giggling, which would only upset him more. "And I'll be the good cop?"

He nodded silently. Annie smiled at him.

"Lead the way," she said, gesturing at the Black Rider.

When they came to a stop in front of their hostage, Abed slipped easily into character. Annie actually watched the change that flowed over him as he became a bad cop. His stance relaxed into the confident, tough one of a man who's sure that he's in charge. He crossed his arms over his chest and a fierce expression settled on his face. Annie, on the other hand, wasn't sure exactly what she needed to do to convey that she was the good cop. Generally speaking, she felt like she was kind of the good cop of the study group anyway. Maybe she should just be herself.

"You know what we want from you," Abed stated firmly. "If you give up the information, maybe we let you go. Maybe we don't shoot you point blank in your pretty face."

Annie gaped at Abed for a moment. He really sounded threatening just then. When he glanced over at her with a raised eyebrow, Annie realized that it was her turn. She turned back to the Black Rider with a bright smile on her face.

"What's your name? If we're going to help each other, we should be on a first name basis."

He raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Sam. What's yours?"

She grinned from making progress. "I'm Annie, and this is Abed. If you simply cooperate with us and tell us why you're here, we can all get what we want."

"You get information and I get to take you home with me?" he asked with a wicked smirk.

"N...no," Annie stammered out, completely flustered by his audacity. "Definitely not."

Abed whipped out a pistol and, taking a few steps forward, held the gun to Sam's forehead.

"Apologize to the lady," he demanded.

Sam glared up at him and then aimed a charming smile at Annie.

"Sorry for being so honest, babe."

"Not good enough," Abed stated, his finger tightening on the trigger.

Annie hurried forward and grabbed his arm, pulling the gun away from Sam.

"Abed, that's enough. Put the gun down," she pleaded, staring up at him.

When he met her gaze, Annie was struck by the thought that he wasn't completely in character. His eyes were burning with anger, but his expression was blank and his posture was stiff. She wondered briefly if he was actually angry at Sam for what he had said to her. The idea that she was seeing Abed furious on her behalf as himself and not a character set her heart racing. She took advantage of the moment to slide her hand down his arm. Curling her fingers around his hand, she spoke softly, staying in character.

"It's okay, Abed; I'm not insulted. Just give me the gun. We don't have to do this with violence."

Annie watched as the anger blinked out of his eyes. His posture relaxed again, and his jaw unclenched. Annie pried the gun out of his hand and dropped it on the nearby table with the four others.

"Now, Sam," she addressed their hostage warmly, still keeping a wary eye on Abed. "Just give us the information that we want, and we'll set you free. You can escape this Godforsaken war zone more in tact than the rest of us."

When he started to laugh, Annie frowned. She thought that she was doing a decent job as the good cop, but maybe she was wrong.

"Do you really think that the good cop/bad cop routine's going to work on me?" he asked between chuckles. "It's not. I mean, kudos to your dedication. I really thought he was going to shoot me just now, but I'm not about to sell out what I know to avoid a paintball. Face it: there's nothing you can do to make me talk."

Silence fell over the room. Annie tried to figure out how to find out why he was here because she didn't doubt his words; they were too confident for her to believe their routine would break him. Next to her, Abed had resumed his usual stiff posture, suggesting that he too was trying to figure out a way around Sam's stubbornness.

Thirty seconds later, an idea began to form in Annie's head. She really didn't like what she was coming up with, but based on his tendency to flirt with her, she thought it might work. And if it meant protecting the friends and school that had accepted her when no one and nowhere else would, then it would be worth the embarrassment. Channeling her every acting ability, Annie tilted her head to the side and allowed a sinful smile to touch her lips.

"So, good cop/bad cop won't work on you, huh? What about _very _bad cop?" she asked, lowering her voice to a husky tone.

She met his eyes briefly to find that he was definitely intrigued. Annie lowered her eyes to Abed's gun, running her fingers across the metal before picking it up. Holding it loosely at her side, Annie approached the bound man. She stopped directly in front of him.

"Here's the thing, Sam. I love my friends and I love my school, and I would do anything to protect them."

Steeling her nerves, Annie straddled his legs, making sure that she was well away from his crotch. She fought to control the blush that threatened to erupt when her skirt slid up, revealing her thighs, since it wouldn't be in character. God, she couldn't believe what she was doing!

Resting her free hand on his chest, Annie leaned forward and placed her lips close to his ear.

"_Anything_," she whispered.

She felt the muscles in his chest jump under her hand, and she knew that she was having an effect on him. And that meant that she might actually get her answers. Leaning back, she met his eyes, widening her own blue ones to Disney proportions.

"But if I'm worried about City College attacking, I won't be able to focus on anything else. I won't be able to _relax_."

She added innuendo to her tone on the last word.

"But if you tell me what I want to know..."

She trailed off significantly, moving her free hand up to run along his square jaw.

"Alright, Annie. You win," he said, his voice gruff.

Annie nearly beamed at him as herself, but caught herself in time. She had to stay in character until she had the answers she and Abed needed. Instead, she quirked one eyebrow at him, meeting his eyes. She was shocked to see that they were heated.

"Why are you here?" she questioned.

"Dean Spreck sent me to see if there was any way to use your Halloween festival to destroy Greendale," he explained.

"You knew about today's paintball game?" she asked curiously, slipping out of character momentarily.

"Oh, honey, this wasn't a one time thing. Every time Greendale has a festival or a dance or anything else significant, someone from City College is there, looking for a way to destroy you," he informed her in a silky tone. "But, no, I didn't know about today's game."

Suppressing a shiver at the horrible thought that there were always spies around, Annie forced a sultry smile.

"And did you find what you were looking for today?"

He shook his head. "Even if I won today's game, Dean Pelton doesn't have the power to shut the school down on his own."

Annie raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you playing?"

A sheepish expression crept onto his face.

"Your school may be a crap hole, but you hold the best paintball game in the county," he admitted.

Annie patted his cheek. "Good boy."

As she climbed off his lap, Annie looked down. Aiming the gun that she had held the entire time, she fired. An orange spot exploded across his boot, taking him out of the game.

"Damn it, Annie!" he howled.

She grinned at him. "Oops."

Once she had regained her feet, Annie turned to Abed. He was watching her fiercely, and there was no denying the attraction in his eyes this time. A knot formed in her stomach under his gaze and she had to look away before she did something stupid like kiss him.

"Hey, you promised to let me go," Sam declared.

Annie glanced over her shoulder at him. "Good cop Annie promised to if you gave her the information she needed, but you didn't help her. Very bad cop Annie didn't promise you a darn thing."

Slipping out of character, Annie led Abed away from Sam so that they could plan their next move.

"Do _not _tell Britta I did that," she demanded, color finally flooding her cheeks.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Hey!" Britta interjected, sitting up in her chair from her previous relaxed position. "What do you mean by that? Not telling me stuff seems to be a theme with you guys," she accused, glaring at her three roommates. "Do you really think I'm that judgmental?"

Annie exchanged a guilty look with Troy and Abed, although his expression was blank.

"It's not always because we think you'll judge us. It's just that sometimes we catch each other doing embarrassing stuff. I mean, it's inevitable when so many people live together. I just think you'd be happier not knowing most of the time. _I'd _be happier not knowing," she explained, trying her best not to hurt her friend's feelings.

The truth was, yes, Britta was that judgmental. Annie didn't want to say that though because she loved the fact that Britta was so dedicated to her beliefs and values. But it made all of their lives easier if she didn't know about some of the things that happened in the apartment when she wasn't around. Especially for Troy, who wanted Britta to see him as an intelligent, cool, macho guy when Annie had caught him doing some stuff that was decidedly none of those things.

"Really?" Britta asked. "Tell me a few of the things that you three have kept from me."

Annie nibbled her lip uncertainly. She wasn't sure if that was the best idea, but Britta crossed her arms in a way that said they wouldn't get past this unless she gave in to the blonde's demands. Looking at her other two roommates, she saw that Troy was nervous but resigned and Abed was just as impassive as ever.

"Okay," she finally agreed. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

ooooo

_Tuesday, September 11, 2012_

Annie opened the door to the apartment after work to find Abed and Troy standing in the living room, a pile of kitchen knives next to them. Looking over, she saw one embedded in the wall next to her bedroom door, having completely missed the paper target they had taped up. Putting two and two together, she scowled.

"Guys! _No! _Just no!" she yelled.

"Don't tell Britta," Troy pleaded.

ooooo

_Wednesday, October 17, 2012_

Annie was unpacking the grocery bags in the kitchen when she heard the slight creak of bed springs coming from her room. She panicked at the thought that Britta and Troy were violating Abed's only requested roommate rule before remembering that Britta had a morning class. Troy was the only one home right now.

Curious, she dropped the box of spaghetti she had just taken out and headed to her bedroom. Pushing the door open, she peeked in to see Troy snuggled in amongst her many stuffed animals, fast asleep with his arm around her favorite bear. Rolling her eyes, Annie marched over and shook him awake. When his eyes popped open, a guilty expression immediately flooded his features.

"Out, Troy," she instructed, fighting back a grin.

"But it's so warm and fluffy," he protested, climbing out of the mountain of animals. "Don't tell Britta."

ooooo

_Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 22, 2012_

Annie was woken up by a loud crash in the living room. Getting out of bed, she hesitated a moment while her head swam. When she was sure she had her balance, she left the room. She thought she was supposed to have the apartment to herself today.

Entering the living room, she was surprised to find Abed still in his pajamas. He was crouched on the ground, cleaning up shards of Mr. Whiskers' empty urn, which they had agreed to let Britta keep as a reminder of her favorite cat after she scattered the ashes. Judging from the strange angle of the end table, Abed must have run into it while still half-asleep.

She sneezed. He glanced up.

"Don't tell Britta."

ooooo

_Sunday, January 6, 2013_

Feeling terribly self-conscious, Annie desperately wished that she had thought to bring her coat into her bedroom with her instead of leaving it in the coat closet. Honestly, she could kill Abed for this costume choice and she was seriously considering dropping out of his movie in protest.

She cracked the door open and peeked outside. Seeing that the coast was clear, she rushed out. She was nearly to the closet when Troy's voice stopped her.

"Annie? What are you _wearing?_"

Jumping, Annie stared down at her black bunny suit and reached a hand up to the white ears pinned into her hair. Scanning the room, she saw that he was in his recliner. She blushed at the stunned expression on his face.

"Don't tell Britta."

ooooo

_Friday, February 15, 2013_

Annie really needed to use the bathroom, and it was early enough that no one else would be up yet. Picking up a shirt from her floor, she slipped it on and hurried out. When she reached the bathroom, the door opened and bottomless Annie was faced with nude Troy. They both yelped and averted their gazes, Annie covering her eyes. They spoke at the same time.

"Don't tell Britta."

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

Britta slumped back in her chair.

"You were right. I really didn't want to know all that."

"_Oh! Oh!_" Troy exclaimed, bouncing excitedly in his chair. "The shirt! _Oh! _That was..."

"Troy!" Annie shouted hastily. "Keep it to yourself."

"Oh, right. No spoilers," he grimaced, his face crestfallen as he relaxed back. His expression quickly perked up. "Hey! I do know part of the story."

"Troooy," Shirley drew out his name in a sweet voice. "What was so special about that shirt?"

"It was..." he answered immediately.

"Abed!" Annie cried.

The pop genius leaned over and slapped his hand over Troy's mouth before he could give too much away.

"Nobody weasels any information out of Troy," Annie warned, pointing at them. "Not even you Britta."

The blonde frowned in disappointment.

"Moving on..." Jeff urged, an annoyed expression on his face as he glared at Abed.

"Sure," Annie agreed, pausing to gather her thoughts. "What happened next was actually kind of awful..."

ooooo

_Wednesday, October 31, 2012_

Annie and Abed had finally come up with what they suspected would be the best route to the study room when the door slammed open. Annie allowed herself a rare mental curse when she realized that Abed's gun was still on the table where she'd left it. The only weapon in reach was the pistol that she'd initially picked up before the second gong. She reached for it, but Abed was faster than her. He whipped the gun out of the waistband of her skirt and leveled it at the door as he slid in front of her. He managed to take one person down, but then the gun jammed. They found themselves staring down five armed opponents as the defeated guy left the room.

"So, part of the infamous Greendale seven _is _hiding in the daycare center."

Annie groaned and, leaning around Abed, sought out the source of the familiar voice.

"Hello, Meghan," she sighed when she spotted the blonde. "How did you find us?"

She sneered. "Brandy texted us twenty minutes ago to let us know that you were here and you were vulnerable. She was on our team, you know."

Annie automatically felt indignant. She had helped protect Brandy's daughter and _this _was the thanks she got? That traitor!

Meghan turned her attention to Abed.

"Drop the gun now or we shoot your little girlfriend."

Annie watched Abed shift more securely in front of her so that she could no longer see their opponents. She wondered what he was doing. It wasn't like the gun was working properly anyway. They were undeniably caught.

"You'll shoot us both either way," he pointed out matter-of-factly. "So why should I?"

A tense silence fell over the room before an unfamiliar woman said, "Hey, Meghan. Why don't we shoot one and take the other hostage? Then we could get the rest of their friends."

Annie tensed. She didn't like the sound of that plan at all.

Even though Annie couldn't see the other woman because of Abed, she knew that she was considering the suggestion.

"I like that idea," Meghan finally declared. "We'll take little Annie. She's probably too much of a priss to put up a fight. Shoot the guy."

"I'm their best player," Abed quickly stated. "If you take me instead, the others will be more likely to come."

Annie knew that wasn't true. If they were still in the game, they would come no matter who was captured, so she wondered what Abed was doing. Then again, Meghan and her friends probably wouldn't believe that. They were stereotypical mean girls, after all. The thought of risking themselves to save someone who wasn't particularly useful (even though Annie definitely was) likely wouldn't make sense to them.

"But you might fight us," Meghan pointed out. "She won't."

Annie gritted her teeth at the insult. She definitely would fight them if she just had a working gun.

"A deal, then," Abed said. "If you let her go, I promise to come peacefully. I won't even try to fight you."

It took about two seconds for Meghan to agree to that plan.

"Drop the gun and kick it over here," she directed.

"What?" Annie yelped. "You can't do that, Abed!"

But he ignored her, dropping the gun to the floor and kicking it over to their enemies. Then he turned around.

"It's okay, Annie. I'm doing what has to be done for the plot to progress."

Unable to resist, Annie gripped both sides of the placket front of his plaid shirt. Smoothing her hands down, she addressed his chest, unable to meet his eyes out of guilt.

"I'll rescue you, you know," she whispered. She finally looked up to see that he was gazing down at her intensely. "You just stay alive, and I'll find you."

"I know you will," he stated unquestioningly. "It's in the plot."

"Okay. Enough of that. I think I'm going to throw up," Meghan announced, gesturing her team forward.

The other four armed members moved up to Abed. When they surrounded him, Annie was forced to let go of his shirt and step back. Devastated, she watched as Abed was marched out of the room, a gun in his back.

As soon as they were gone, Annie shook the feeling off and hurried over to the table with its stack of guns. She grinned slightly. It was so, so stupid of them to leave her so well-armed. Now she just needed to find room on herself for five pistols. At least it wasn't six since her original one had jammed. She needed to be quick though so that she could get to the study room and catch the others before they left to meet Meghan's group. She knew they'd head there to come up with a plan once the other team made their demands.

Glancing over at Sam, who was still strapped to his chair, she remembered that he had a dual holster. She didn't know how he had been lucky enough to grab one. There had been very few in the supplies, and Annie hadn't been able to get hold of one because she wanted to get out of the cafeteria before the second gong rang. She moved over to him.

"I'm taking your holster," she announced, bending down to unfasten it. "The way I see it, it's Greendale property and I'm a student here. You're not."

Pulling it off him, she circled it around her hips and pulled it tight enough that it wouldn't fall off.

"You should speed up if you want to save your boyfriend," he directed her.

"Abed's not my boyfriend," she said flatly, fastening the holster and heading back over to the table.

"Listen, sweetheart," he stated in a serious voice while Annie slid the guns into the holsters and the waistband of her skirt. "A man doesn't sacrifice himself for a woman that he's just friends with."

Picking up the final gun, Annie met his gaze. "You don't know Abed."

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Awe, Abed," Shirley said with a grin. "That was so sweet of you."

Pierce let out a noise. "Giving yourself up for a chick? Such a stupid move."

"What are you talking about, Pierce?" Britta asked. "I mean, sure, it was a little chauvinistic of him to step in and save her, but it was actually the smartest thing he could have done."

Troy nodded. "Annie kicks ass at paintball, but they didn't know that. If they had, they would have taken her and shot Abed like they first wanted to."

"Everyone pigeonholes Annie because of her feminine style and school obsession and that's what made her a secret weapon," Abed reasoned, just as he had when he had decided to stay behind with her that day.

"Did anyone ever let the Black Rider go?" Shirley asked curiously.

"Yeah. Garrett told me the next day that he freed him when he came back for his backpack," Annie informed her.

"Okay. So we met up in the study room and came up with our plan. What happened when you split up from us after that?" Britta questioned curiously.

"Something pretty important actually happened _before _we separated," Annie admitted, glancing over at Jeff.

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

ooooo

_Wednesday, October 31, 2012_

"Team twelve, we have Abed Nadir. If you want him back in one piece, then I suggest you be in the cafeteria in ten minutes. If any of you are missing, we shoot him."

Annie listened to the crackle of the intercom as someone spoke quietly to Meghan, who then sighed.

"Fine. Whatever. Jeff Winger, Britta Perry, Troy Barnes, Shirley Bennett, and Pierce Hawthorne. Be in the cafeteria in ten minutes. Annie Edison, take advantage of the reprieve and hide like the coward you are. We'll come for you as soon as we finish off your friends."

The intercom went silent just as the hum of a familiar voice sounded in the background.

Sixty seconds later, Annie stepped into the study room to find the rest of the group already there.

"Annie!" Britta, who was guarding the door, shouted when she spotted the brunette. "You're safe!"

"I am," she confirmed, closing the door behind her and walking over to the rest of the group. "Are all of you still in the game?"

"We had a close call earlier with the Glee club," Shirley said, "but we survived."

"Because I took them out," Pierce boasted.

"Your gun kept accidentally going off while you were yelling about them singing 'crappy black music'," Britta argued.

"It still counts!" Pierce defended himself.

"We're just figuring out how we're going to handle the announcement about Abed," Jeff explained, interrupting the argument.

"I actually have an idea about that," Annie stated, stopping next to Troy, who was sobbing, probably over Abed's capture.

Jeff shrugged. "Let's hear it. We haven't come up with anything yet."

"Meghan's group took him. It's a long story and there's no time to explain right now," she stated, heading off questions. "The point is there are five of them. The way I see it, they won't take Abed to the cafeteria with them since he's their insurance policy. That means they'll leave him somewhere secure. I'm 99% sure that he was the one who interrupted Meghan's announcement, which means that he's in the Dean's office."

She paused to look around at them. She was pleased to see that they were listening closely. "If they leave him there, as I suspect, they'll leave at least one guard with him. They're not sure how many of us are left, so they'll want to be prepared. Since they've already lost two members, they can't spare any more than one person. You all have to go to the cafeteria or I'm sure that Meghan will text her guard to eliminate Abed. I, however, can rescue him."

"No, you can't. It's too dangerous."

Annie was a little surprised that Jeff was the one to react that way. He knew as well as Abed exactly how capable she was with a paintball gun.

"Jeff, it's just one guard. I'll be fine," she reassured him.

He shook his head stubbornly. "You can just wait here until we take out the rest of their team and then we'll all go get Abed."

Annie sighed and fixed on her formidable face. "Jeff, do you honestly think that Meghan won't just text the guard to take out Abed even if you beat them? If she gets taken out of the game, she'll do that just to spite us. No, the best option, the _only _option, if Abed's going to make it out of this still in the game, is for me to take out the guard before she shoots him."

Shirley sighed. "I don't like this, Annie. I know you're perfectly capable, but I don't like the idea of you being out there by yourself."

Annie smiled gently at her. "I know, Shirley. I'm not exactly thrilled. It's really eerie out there now that there are only a handful of players left, but if it keeps Abed in the game, it's worth it. So what do you guys think?"

From her spot by the door, Britta spoke up first. "It definitely seems like the best option."

When the rest concurred, Jeff sighed.

"Okay. We'll go to the cafeteria and Annie will head to the Dean's office."

"Supply check," Troy announced, his tears dry now that they had a plan.

That reminded Annie...

"Oh! I have a couple of extra guns that you guys can take," she said, pulling two at the small of her back out of her waistband and setting them on the table. "I'm taking the other three with me because Abed's unarmed, but you can have these two."

"Wow," Troy gasped. "How did you get so many, Annie?"

She smiled at his amazement. "I got them off my kills. Oh, and this one's Abed's." She gestured to her left holster.

While they argued over who would take the guns, Annie rearranged the final gun at her back into a more comfortable position.

"Hey, Britta, do you have a spare hair tie?"

Reaching into the pocket of her jacket, the blonde pulled an elastic band out and handed it to Annie. She smiled her thanks and pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail. Looking down at her outfit, Annie grimaced. She needed to be less conspicuous for this mission, and her bright orange Halloween cardigan would quickly give her away. The scoop neck shirt she had on underneath it was white, but at least it would fit in better against the walls than the orange. Sighing, she removed her sweater and hung it over the back of her regular chair.

"We have five minutes to get to the cafeteria," Jeff announced. "Get going and be careful. Wait until we're all together before actually entering the room."

Annie watched as the rest of the group exited carefully. Jeff turned to Annie once they were gone.

"You'll take care of yourself, too?"

"Of course," she promised him, checking her ammo.

When he gripped her jaw and lifted her face to his, Annie's eyes widened. The expression on his face was solemn.

"Three months ago, Shirley told me to go after what makes me happy. You make me happy, Annie," he said simply before dropping her chin and leaving the room.

Annie was confused by his words. He couldn't possibly have meant that he was going to...what? Come after her? She shook her head vigorously. She couldn't deal with Jeff having feelings for her when she was already trying to handle the whole perplexing Abed thing. _Ugh!_Couldn't he have at least waited until after she was done saving Abed to spring that on her?

Pushing the thoughts aside for perusal later because she couldn't afford any distractions right now, Annie took the gun from her right holster.

She had to rescue the man she had _very _confusing feelings for.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Annie, you do know that's normally where the heroine would say she had to save the man she _loved_, right?" Britta asked.

Troy beamed at her. "You are so hot when you know stuff about movies."

Annie laughed at his response and Britta's subsequent grin before answering, "Yeah, I do know that. I didn't _love_ Abed, though. I was attracted to him, I liked spending time with him, and I spent way more time thinking about kissing him than was healthy, but I didn't _love _him."

Annie blushed when Britta and Troy started teasing her about those admissions. When she glanced at Abed, she saw that he was watching her with a tiny smile on his face.

"You do know that I wasn't giving you permission to date Annie when I said that, don't you Jeffrey?" Shirley asked in a sickly sweet tone, suddenly changing the subject.

The rest of the group quieted down and focused on Jeff.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I figured that, but I also decided that I didn't care anymore. Annie and I were getting along better than ever before, and watching her handle her busy schedule reminded me that she wasn't a teenager. Her age just didn't seem to matter as much. And then when she made the decision to go after Abed alone...it was a mature decision, and there was no point in continuing to avoid how I felt about her. So I said something."

The room fell into a contemplative silence before Pierce unceremoniously broke it.

"Your choices were the gay guy or the terrorist?" Pierce asked before giving Annie a once-over. "You could do better."

That earned a genuine giggle out of Annie even as she pulled her cardigan tighter around her. "Thank you, Pierce. And, also, don't call them that."

"So the Jeff part of the story isn't going away any time soon," Britta said, "But you weren't focusing on it because you had to rescue Abed, right?"

Annie nodded. "Right. I didn't know what I was walking into for sure, so I couldn't afford to think about anything but my mission."

ooooo

_Wednesday, October 31, 2012_

Annie stopped and pressed herself against the wall. When she turned this corner, she would be in the hallway that led to the Dean's office. She wasn't sure what she would find when she abandoned her post, so she wanted to take a moment to rest and assess her supplies.

The journey over hadn't been easy. She'd had to pass several areas where other teams had gathered. She had managed to bring down Magnitude, but she'd used far more paintballs than she would have preferred. She had to give him credit - he was good and surprisingly polite about his loss. His 'Pop, pop' after she'd finally caught him on the arm was highly respectful, as if he acknowledged that while he was good, she was better. She had also run into the last of the hipsters' team. Luckily, her reflexes were considerably quicker than theirs, so she had shot all three without breaking a sweat. Leonard hadn't taken the loss well though, flipping her off. After taking down a few other unfamiliar students, Annie had finally reached the Dean's hallway.

Once her guns were reloaded, Annie snuck a look around the corner. She didn't see anyone, but that didn't mean they weren't there. She watched the hallway for another minute. When there was still no sign of life, Annie crept carefully out and along the corridor to the dean's office. The door was shut, but peeping through the glass, she could see Abed sitting calmly and unrestrained in the dean's chair. There was a woman pacing back and forth in front of him. Annie willed Abed to look out the window and notice her.

As if he had felt the mental urging, his head turned ever so slightly toward the door and their eyes met.

"Meghan's legs are proportionally short compared to the rest of her body."

Annie heard Abed's words through the door and fought not to snicker and give herself away. He was clearly baiting the guard to distract her, and since she was a notorious mean girl on campus, Annie just knew that she would take it. Sure enough, a moment later she heard the woman start to rant about Meghan's flaws.

Annie reached out and twisted the knob. Once she heard the low click of the handle, she pulled the door open very slowly. When she had it cracked enough to fit her gun, she used her view through the window to take aim and shoot the woman in the back of the leg.

"Ow!" she yelled, looking down and behind her. When she saw the paint, she let out a disgusted sound and dropped her gun. "These jeans were $80! Screw this. I'm out of here."

She shoved the door the rest of the way open and brushed past Annie with barely a glance. Thrilled, Annie ran into the room.

"Was she your only guard?"

"Yes."

"I did it then. I actually rescued you!" Annie yelled excitedly, bouncing in place.

"I told you it was in the plot," Abed stated blandly as he stood up.

"I know you did. But a part of me didn't actually believe you!" she exclaimed, rushing him.

She was so relieved to see him whole and still in the game that when she reached him, it just felt natural to jump up and throw her arms around his neck. He stiffened beneath her grip, his arms hanging at his side, but Annie didn't care. She just tightened her grasp on him and tucked her face into the crook of his neck, breathing in his wonderful scent. She held like that for a moment until he relaxed and then she pulled her head back so that she could meet his eyes.

What she saw there was unexpected. His gaze was passionate and her blood heated under it.

She would never be sure who made the first move, but the next thing she knew, her lips were locked to Abed's. She clung to the back of his neck to keep him close to her. It wasn't enough, though, because she still didn't have the leverage that she wanted due to their height difference. Luckily, she didn't have to worry about it for much longer because Abed backed up until he dropped into the dean's chair.

Without breaking contact, Annie climbed into his lap, her legs on either side of his hips. Cupping his face, she tilted her head to the side to get a better angle. She felt Abed slide one hand along her spine while his other ran up into the base of her ponytail to brace the back of her head. She leaned into the fingers dancing up her back with a moan.

When that hand dropped to her bare lower thigh, Annie gasped and lifted herself upward on her knees. Leaning her elbows on his shoulders, she pressed her chest to his and buried her fingers in his soft, silky hair. Since he wasn't taking the initiative, Annie brushed her tongue along his lips. The hand that had been rubbing small circles on her thigh stilled, and Annie wondered if she'd tried for too much.

And then his hand slid a little higher and his mouth opened below hers. The first touch of his tongue had her gasping and dropping her hands to grasp his shoulders tightly. He tasted so good. There was lingering chocolate and that note that she had noticed before, the taste that was just him. An ache building in her core, Annie lowered herself in his lap. The feel of his growing erection under her was startling. The thought that she could affect _Abed _like that was just astounding. Eyes closed, Annie moaned his name.

The instant she did it, she wished she hadn't because it brought him back to his senses. He broke off their kiss and pulled his head back from her. Dazed, Annie stared at him. His eyes were shockingly unguarded and she could see the confusion, surprise, and lust swirling through them. The feelings mirrored her own, and it was the confusion that had her climbing off of his lap the instant she was sure her legs would support her.

After pacing several steps away, she closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. _What had she done? _Yes, she had wanted to kiss Abed, just Abed, had fantasized about it even, but she had never actually planned to. He had been pretty open about the fact that he didn't want to kiss her. And then there was his no-romance romance with Robin.

The thought of the other woman made Annie's eyes pop open. Right. He was involved with someone else. That settled it then: she would just have to pretend that nothing had happened. This kiss couldn't mean anything. It was just the adrenaline of the game and the fact that she had succeeded in rescuing him. That was _all _it could be.

Annie would have laughed at the irony that she was going to have to act just like Jeff if it wasn't so crushing.

That just brought up another thought. _Oh, God, Jeff. _Jeff and his feelings and her being what makes him happy. It was just too much in one day, and Annie could feel herself hovering on the verge of tears.

Luckily, the sound of footsteps yanked her out of her overwhelming thoughts. Turning around, Annie saw that Abed was standing, his expression once again closed off. Pulling his gun from her holster, she tossed it to him while drawing her own out. They both took aim at the door.

When their team came running through, Annie slid her gun back in place.

"Oh, Annie!" Britta cried, coming to a stop in front of her. "Troy's out."

"Huh?" Annie asked.

That really surprised her. Troy was good, better than Britta and Shirley who were both present and paint-free.

"We lost Troy and Pierce," Jeff explained. "We almost got their entire team, though. Meghan snuck out while we were dealing with the others, but we'll take her down soon."

"I can understand Pierce being out, but how did Troy lose?" Annie questioned, still confused.

"It was my fault!" Britta exclaimed, agitated. "I was trying to shoot Meghan when one of her henchmen shot at me. I didn't see it coming until it was too late. Troy jumped in front of the paintball and took the hit. That stupid, chauvinistic man! Why did he do that, Annie?"

Annie smiled. "He cares about you, Britta. He probably didn't even hesitate to sacrifice himself for you."

"Where are Troy and Pierce?" Abed asked.

Jeff rolled his eyes. "They're raiding the sandwich shop on Pierce's dime. Apparently they're both starved."

"What do we do now?" Shirley asked.

_Oh, wasn't that just the question of the day?_

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"And you guys know what happened next. We cleared out the remaining players. Then I took Meghan out of the game when she came into the bathroom while I was in there, and our team won. The dean actually did grant our requests. He made Tuesdays vegetarian in the cafeteria to the disgust of everyone but Britta, and he stopped groping Jeff. He moved Shirley into the later Accounting 201 class that had been full when she enrolled but had since lost a couple of students. Abed was given his permission to film on campus wherever and whenever he wanted, and I got the library hours extended to ten for Garrett just like I promised," Annie concluded.

"Hold on a second!" Britta burst out the instant Annie stopped talking. "You and Abed kissed again?"

Annie nodded, her cheeks pink.

"Were you in character, Annie?" the blonde questioned.

"No," she admitted, her blush deepening.

"Abed?"

"No," he said unemotionally. "I was just me."

Annie stared down at the table. She could feel everyone looking at her.

"So I essentially told you that I wanted to be with you, and the first thing you did was kiss another man?" Jeff asked, the fury clear in his voice.

"Oh, like you're one to talk," Britta huffed. "Slater and I both told you that we loved you _publicly _and you immediately ran out and kissed Annie."

"Yes, Jeffrey. Plus, we all know that you were using Annie that night to escape dealing with Britta and Slater. Annie kissed Abed just because she wanted to. Right, Annie?" Shirley questioned.

Annie nodded. "Yes, I wanted to kiss Abed."

"But you also wanted to pretend that it had never happened?" Britta clarified.

"I had to," Annie said miserably. "He was technically with Robin, so nothing else could happen."

She met the gaze of each group member before lingering on Abed.

"But, as you'll see, my life rarely ever works out like I plan."

A/N 2: So I really had fun writing devious actress Annie. That side comes out some on the show, so I had to include it in my story at least once.


	7. Honesty and Kindness

Spoilers: Anything up to and including the season three finale, 'Introduction to Finality'. In fact, several of the scenes in that episode's final montage will find their way into this story as I provide my own events that lead up to them.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. If I had any claim on Community, Abed would be all mine.

A/N: Okay, I'll be completely honest. I struggled to write the first half of this chapter. It wasn't flowing smoothly at all. I'm still not particularly happy with it, although I do like the second half of the chapter. Hopefully at least some of you enjoy it though. Plus, I'm sick, so please forgive any errors. My focus isn't as strong as it usually is. As always, I'd like to thank my reviewers: XcrazyrandomhappenstanceX, alyssa305, Anon (don't worry: I took that as a compliment), The Alternative Source, MarchesaLace, Lucy36, Mr. High-and-Almighty, Jade, byhappenstance21 (yes, this story is Annie/Abed, although there will be some Annie/Jeff too), Yuleira, and MC-Aitlyn. Thank you so much for your reviews. It means a lot when people take the time to let me know what they think! I'd love to hear from more of my readers, too. Please read and review! Thanks!

Chapter Seven: Honesty and Kindness

_Study Group  
Present Day_

"How much longer until we get to the part of the story that I know?" Troy asked excitedly. "I'm having fun listening to it, but I want to help tell it."

Pulled out of her difficult thoughts, Annie smiled. "It'll be a while until I get to February, Troy. I have a lot of ground to cover before then."

"Oh."

He looked so upset that Annie felt kind of bad for shutting him down. However, she couldn't have him blurting out segments of the story out of order. Especially not when he didn't even know how she had gotten there.

"You were in a difficult position after the paintball game, weren't you, Annie?" Britta questioned, her psych major face in place. "Jeff had just admitted to having feelings for you _finally, _and you had kissed Abed for the first time, no characters involved. How did you handle that?"

Annie grimaced. It hadn't escaped her notice that Britta was more often than not the one who asked the questions leading into the next section of her story. She knew that her blonde friend was probably using this to practice her skills just as she used her sessions with Abed. Nonetheless, she answered honestly.

"I didn't. My life was so awkward that I took the Jeff route and avoided dealing with it. Of course, I wasn't the only one," she said, grinning in Abed's direction.

ooooo

_Saturday, November 10, 2012_

"Annie!"

Annie jumped when Britta's voice tore through the apartment. Dropping her book and leaping off her bed, she dived across the room to hit the lock on her door but it was too late. Before her hand touched the knob, Britta threw the door open. Annie sunk back down on the bed as the blonde began to pace agitatedly in front of her.

"Annie, I swear that I am going to run him over," she declared loudly. "I am going to get in my car and follow him around all day until I find a nice deserted parking lot and them I'm going to just drive right over him. Once he's down, I may even back up and do it again for fun."

Annie grimaced at the visual those words provided her. It wasn't pretty. She didn't even have to ask who Britta was talking about. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that it was Abed who risked becoming a grease spot on in a Greendale parking lot somewhere.

Ever since they had kissed, Annie had been avoiding Abed, and given that she hadn't seen him outside of their study group and classes (quite a feat since they lived together), she suspected that he was doing the same with her. However, she had spent a lot of time with Britta over the past week since Abed had essentially stolen Troy from her. The first few days she had been supportive of her boyfriend spending some time with his best friend. Her patience had quickly dwindled however, and now apparently Britta had grown desperate enough for time alone with him that she was resorting to death threats.

"Seriously," she continued, still pacing. "Troy and I need time alone. It's Saturday. Most couples have plans with each other. Do you know what _my _plans are for tonight?"

Annie was afraid to ask, but she did anyway.

"No. What?"

"Watching Kickpuncher Detroit for the thirtieth time. That's the worst one of the series, and the series sucks so that's really saying something!"

Annie winced. She had only sat through that particular Kickpuncher once. Every other time the boys had played it, she had either avoided the apartment or hid in her room, even if it meant staring blankly at the ceiling. That was still better than watching that movie again.

"You're my friend, right, Annie?" Britta asked.

"Yes," she replied hesitantly.

"And you're Abed's friend too?"

"Yes."

"So you don't want to see him run over and me in jail for running him over, do you?" Britta questioned urgently.

Annie frowned. "Of course not."

"Then do something to help me!" the blonde yelled, waving her hands through the air.

"I don't know what you want me to do," Annie hedged. "It's not exactly easy to make Abed do anything, let alone abandon his plans with Troy."

"I know," Britta said sincerely. "I really do, but you have to help me here, Annie. And not just for my sake, but for Abed's. Have you _seen _the mini-Dreamatorium he built last week to keep in the blanket fort? When he's not hovering over Troy, he's in there. The last time he spent so much time alone in the Dreamatorium, he tried to _cut Jeff's arm off with a tiny electric saw_."

Annie grimaced when she remembered that particular incident. If her very bad cop act and her sexy Santa performance were tied for her lowest moment, then Abed's attempted amputation was definitely his. He had actually been making progress with Britta's help, too. She hated to think that he was regressing. At the same time, she wasn't sure that Abed would want her help, not when they had been working so hard to avoid each other. Annie considered her options. She could tell Britta no, leave Abed on his own, and possibly watch him either get run over or go crazy. Or she could face the awkwardness of the aftermath of their kiss and get their friendship back on track. Groaning, she knew which choice she had to make.

"Fine. I'll talk to him and see if I can get him to do something else tonight," she finally agreed, causing Britta to beam at her. She held up a hand. "But I make no promises. You know how Abed can be about last minute changes."

"I don't care!" Britta exclaimed. "You're willing to try and that's all I care about."

"That's good because that may be all I can do," Annie pointed out, reaching for her pop culture textbook again.

When minutes passed and Britta was still standing there, Annie looked back up.

"Did you need something else?"

"Aren't you going to talk to Abed?"

Annie scowled. "Right now? But I'm studying."

"You're always studying. Put the book down and go find Abed."

The brunette glanced at her alarm clock and shook her head. "It's still early. I can talk to him as soon as I finish this chapter."

"Nuh-uh. They haven't started the movie yet, but once they do, there's no way Abed will listen to you."

Ignoring her, Annie kept reading. She startled when her friend grabbed her arm and started tugging her off the bed.

"Britta!" she yelled, struggling to pull her arm out of her grasp and keep her place. "What are you doing? Let go!"

"No. You haven't spent any time with Abed lately because you've been so busy with everything else, and I know you know that he has abandonment issues. So, it's probably your fault that he's clinging to Troy and his mini-Dreamatorium. Now you have to fix it!"

Annie gasped and let Britta haul her to her feet. Britta had noticed their avoidance of each other? Granted, she didn't know the real reason and had grabbed onto something that would have been probable if not for the kiss that was so clearly the cause. Still, it was time to fix things with him if the others were starting to notice.

"Okay, okay. I'm going," she said, pulling her arm away from Britta. "But what should I even ask him to do?"

Britta threw her hands up in frustration. "I don't care, Annie. Take him to the movies, take him to dinner, take him to the freakin' grocery store. I really don't care. Just get him out of here."

With that, the blonde stormed out of the room as quickly as she had entered it. Annie sighed and stood in front of her mirror. She checked her appearance. There was nothing wonderful about it, but there was nothing particularly wrong with it either. She had spent all day in her room reading, so she was dressed comfortably in a worn pair of jeans and a clingy red and white striped long sleeve shirt. She had pulled her dark brown hair up into a ponytail to keep it out of the way, and her face was free of makeup. Shaking her head, Annie realized how ridiculous she was being. It was just Abed. It didn't matter what she looked like and it wasn't like she cared what he thought.

That didn't stop Annie from slicking on her pink, strawberry-flavored lip gloss before leaving her room.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"You totally cared what he thought!" Britta crowed. "You put on lip gloss for him!"

Blushing, Annie averted her gaze to stare at the ceiling. "I'll neither confirm nor deny that."

"Were you spending so much time with me because you were avoiding Annie?" Troy asked Abed.

Annie dropped her eyes back down to focus on Abed. She was curious about his answer. She had never actually asked that question.

"Partially. I wasn't supposed to kiss Annie. It wasn't in the script. I knew the best way to get things back on track was to avoid her. If I wasn't around, then she would turn to Jeff, and things would be right again," Abed explained in his normal monotone.

"Of course, he didn't know that I was working just as hard to avoid Jeff as I was to avoid him," Annie contributed. "But I'll get to that in a bit."

"So you didn't really want to hang out with me?" Troy asked, his eyes gleaming as tears formed.

"I did. I had tried to be respectful of your relationship with Britta like Annie told me to, but when I had to stop talking to her, I needed to spend time with you. Running reenactments with you kept me from thinking about her. No one else could have done that."

"Dude."

While Troy and Abed exchanged their signature handshake across the corner of the table, Annie's heart fluttered. It was nice to have confirmation that while she was obsessing over their kiss, he was thinking about her too.

Feeling particularly warm, Annie smiled as she recalled the next part of the story.

"Of course, thanks to Britta's interference, we pretty much had to start talking again."

ooooo

_Saturday, November 10, 2012_

Annie paused in the doorway to her bedroom. She could see Abed and Troy in their recliners in front of the TV, but they seemed to be talking instead of actually watching it. Scanning the room, she spotted Britta leaning against the wall and glaring at the pair. When the blonde noticed her, she pointed emphatically at Abed and mouthed, "Talk to him now."

Annie decided that the best way to approach this was to act like nothing had ever happened. With that in mind, she took a deep breath and walked over to Abed's recliner, perching on the arm as she was prone to do when she needed to talk to him and Troy's chair was occupied.

"Hey, Abed," she opened.

Her stomach clenched as she prayed that he would answer her and not give their awkwardness away to their roommates. When he craned his head up at her, she knew that she had the go ahead to talk to him.

"Do you want to grab something to eat?" she blurted out. "A new Mexican restaurant just opened up downtown. Its owner probably even likes Die Hard."

His brow furrowed slightly and Annie winced. She didn't even want to know what was going through his mind. He probably thought that she was asking him on a date or something since they had kissed. _Ugh_. The last thing she needed was for Abed to think that she was going to go crazy over the idea of making him her boyfriend like she had after she and Jeff had kissed at the Tranny dance.

Movement next to her drew her attention. Britta had pulled Troy out of his recliner and was dragging him into their bedroom.

"We'll watch Kickpuncher later. You should go out, Abed," she instructed before the door shut behind them.

The silence that fell with their disappearance was highly uncomfortable. Annie scowled. _Darn it_. Britta had just taken away Abed's main excuse to say no. When Annie realized that she was still sitting on the arm of Abed's recliner and that he was still looking at her, she quickly hopped up. Standing in front of him, she wished that he would speak already.

"I don't think that would be wise, Annie," he said, granting her wish.

She crossed her arms. "Look, Abed. It's not like it's a date. We're friends. Friends can eat dinner together."

She had wanted him to turn her down, but now that he had, she wanted him to accept her invitation. She hated that they were in a place where he would opt not to hang out with her. He still looked uncertain, so she gave a final push.

"You've gone out to dinner with both Jeff and Troy alone before, right? And those weren't dates," she pointed out. "Why should I be any different?"

She held back a groan as soon as she asked the question. Of course she was different. He had never kissed Troy or Jeff. She waited for him to highlight that little discrepancy.

"You're right," he surprised her by saying. "We can have dinner."

When Annie heard the moaning start in the other room, she let out a grateful sigh.

"Oh, thank God. I don't want to spend the night here with them doing that."

"I agree."

Annie let out a small chuckle when she saw the faint distaste on his face.

Twenty minutes later, Annie was seated across from Abed at a table in the new Mexican restaurant. Even though it was Saturday, they hadn't had to wait because it was barely six. They hadn't spoken much, either on the way down or since they were seated. Annie frowned down at her menu. Things shouldn't be this weird with Abed. She cast around for a harmless topic of conversation to break the ice.

"It's really nice that it's been so unseasonably warm lately," she finally settled on.

She bit back a groan. She couldn't believe that she had to resort to discussing the _weather _with one of her best friends.

"It has made shooting much easier," he agreed.

"Really? What are you working on right now?" she asked curiously.

As he started to describe the fear scene that he'd been working on over the past week, Annie began to relax. This was how her relationship with Abed was supposed to be. Comfortably listening to him talk about movies. No weird sexual tension or focusing on his lips while he spoke and remembering how warm and firm, yet soft they were on hers.

When Annie realized where her thoughts had wandered, she pulled her gaze off Abed's mouth and looked back down at her menu. She was grateful for the arrival of their waiter shortly afterward.

After he had taken their orders and left, quiet fell over them again. Annie was sick of the awkwardness, so she decided to ask a question that she had been wondering about for a few days.

"Why did you build the mini-Dreamatorium?"

Abed paused to think for a moment before answering, "The Dreamatorium wasn't just a place where I could fight villains. It allowed me to sort through new data by running the scenarios. I found myself in need of a place where I could process recent events."

Annie gulped. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that part of what he was processing was their kiss. After all, she knew that hadn't been in his script for their study group. Annie wondered if she should just broach the subject that was sitting between them. Ignoring it certainly hadn't worked. Taking a deep breath, she decided to just do it. Avoidance wasn't her normal tactic anyway.

"Abed, I know that we kissed and things have been really..." she paused to search for the right word, "awkward. Speaking for myself, I've been trying to avoid you just so I could avoid this conversation."

She met his eyes and saw that his head was tilted to the side and he was listening closely. His expression was blank, but Annie was relieved by that. It was certainly better than disgust or, well, anything else, really, so she continued.

"Here's the truth, Abed. I enjoyed our kiss. I can't lie about that. I liked it and I would do it again if I had the chance. But I also know that you aren't interested in that. I _was _listening to what you told me the day Britta moved in."

Embarrassed that she was being so brutally honest, Annie could feel that her cheeks were bright red. She felt like Abed deserved the truth, though.

"I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I'm not going to think I'm in love with you just because we kissed, Abed. You don't have to worry about me seeing the Annie-of-it-all in the time that we spend together," she assured him.

Feeling thoroughly humiliated by her declarations, Annie closed her eyes briefly to regain a bit of composure before opening them again and looking at Abed. He had his brow furrowed and appeared to be deep in thought. While she waited for his reaction, if he even had a reaction for what she had just said, she fidgeted with her napkin.

"I'm not worried about that, Annie," he finally said. "You're a mature woman, and I liked kissing you."

Abed's tone was so sincere, so straightforward and not at all like his usual monotone that Annie could feel her eyes rather stupidly tearing up. She didn't know just how much she needed to hear that at least someone saw her as a grown woman.

"But?" she asked.

"But nothing has changed since that day. I'm still the director, I still can't have a storyline, and Robin is still the best choice for me," he said matter-of-factly.

Even if she didn't love him, that was still slightly crushing. Annie quickly wiped away a tear that had leaked out but she was able to force a smile.

"See. This is good. By not avoiding the issue, we can move on with our friendship." She took a deep breath and changed the subject. "Did you hear that Neil and Vicki got engaged?"

After that, dinner was easy. They talked about Greendale, their friends, their classes, and TV and movies, of course. Annie was finally able to relax for the first time since Halloween. She had forgotten how entertaining Abed's insights could be and how much fun it was to debate the finer points of the John Hughes' film catalogue with him, even if she did always lose the arguments. In fact, they were both enjoying themselves so much that they took advantage of the warm weather to walk around downtown for a couple of hours before heading home.

"...and then he ran right into the telephone pole," Annie finished her story, giggling when they finally reached the door to their apartment a full four hours after they had left.

Abed unlocked the door and let them in. Annie slipped her shoes off and slid them into the coat closet just inside the room. Once they were in place, Annie faced Abed, who had just finished locking the door back up. Clasping her hands in front of her, she smiled up at him.

"I had a lot of fun tonight, Abed. We should spend time together more often."

He nodded. "You can argue media better than most people."

"Awe, thank you!" Annie said, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. She knew what a compliment that was coming from him. "Well, good night, Abed!"

She popped up on her toes and placed a kiss on his cheek. When she dropped back down, she realized what she had done. Cheeks heating, she ducked her head.

"Umm. Sorry."

And then she rushed into her bedroom before he could answer. After pulling on her pajamas, Annie climbed into bed. She tried to fall asleep, even pulling her pillow over her head, but Britta and Troy were still going at it loudly in the next room. Finally giving in to the noise an hour later, Annie climbed out of bed and picked up her pillow.

Annie exited her room and crept across the living room into the blanket fort. She could just make out Abed's form in the lower bunk through the darkness. Moving as quietly as she could so that she wouldn't wake him if he was asleep, Annie climbed up the ladder to what had become her second bed. She had just pulled the covers up to her chin when she heard Abed's voice softly drift up from below her.

"Good night to you too, Annie."

Annie drifted off to sleep with a smile.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"You know, Annie, your not-a-date sounded an awful lot like a date," Shirley commented, grinning at her. "And a good one at that."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she protested, trying to fight back her own smile. "It most definitely wasn't a date."

Britta hummed her dissent. "I don't know about that Annie. You guys went to dinner, you took a walk, you talked about a lot of stuff, you kissed him at the end of the night, and then you even slept in the same bed."

"Bunk bed! Same bunk bed but different bunks!" she defended herself. "It wasn't a date. Tell them, Abed."

"In retrospect, an argument could be made that it was a date," he mused. "It followed the pattern of a typical date but lacked the physical aspects of most dates."

"Aha!" Britta shouted, pointing at Annie. "See! It was a date! And it was a date with Abed so the lack of real kissing doesn't make it any less of a date!"

"Abed!" Annie complained, tossing her highlighter at him in annoyance when Britta finished. "You're not helping!"

"You missed out, Abed. The kissing's the fun part," Pierce added his two cents to the debate. "Of course, it's not as fun as the fuc..."

"Pierce, no!" Shirley interrupted loudly.

Abed threw the highlighter back to her. "Be careful with that. I spent a lot of money for it."

While Annie rolled her eyes, Troy let out an odd noise.

"You bought Annie her highlighters?" he asked, leaning forward in excitement. "When did that happen?"

Annie made a face at Abed, feeling especially lighthearted when she saw the amusement on his face. Sure, it was barely detectable, but she had gotten extremely skilled at reading him over the past few months.

"See what you did," she whined at him before addressing Troy. "That's a different part of the story, Troy. Abed has apparently just decided that he wants to help britta the story with spoilers."

"Hey!" Britta yelled.

"That wasn't big enough to be considered a real spoiler," Abed defended himself.

His tone was expressionless but his face still reflected his good humor. She stuck her tongue out at him childishly. He was good at bringing out that side of her.

"Enough!" Jeff called angrily.

They all sobered up and stared at him. His jaw was clenched, and Annie knew that was a sure sign that he was trying to control his temper.

"Was that really necessary, Jeffrey?" Shirley questioned in a scolding tone.

He ignored her and scowled at Annie.

"You plan on telling them what we did not even a week after your dinner with Abed? Which, by the way, was _not _a date. Or do I not matter in this story?" he asked tightly.

In her peripheral vision, Annie saw Abed's facial features stiffen, all humor gone. She cleared her throat.

"Of course you matter, Jeff. You're actually quite important to my story."

ooooo

_Wednesday, November 14, 2012_

Annie was rushing through the halls to her Anatomy class. It was the first class of the day, and she was running late because she had overslept. Not purposely, of course. No, Troy had apparently decided that he needed her alarm clock for some game that he was playing with Abed the previous night and had failed to put it back. Annie hadn't noticed when she came home after work because she was so exhausted after taking advantage of the later library hours to prepare for her debate that she had immediately changed and gone straight to bed.

Promising herself that she would hurt Troy when she got home that night, Annie rounded the corner into the hall she needed. She was running past a storage closet when a hand shot out and pulled her inside.

Annie let out a scream, only to have a hand clamp over her mouth. Terror taking over, she simultaneously attempted to yank her captured arm out of her assailant's grip and punched him with her free hand. She knew she'd hit successfully when he let out a pained cry.

"Damn it, Annie!"

When Annie recognized the voice, she immediately stilled. She tried to say his name, but her voice was muffled by his hand, which he quickly pulled away.

"Jeff?"

"Yeah, it's me," he confirmed. "And I'm pretty sure you just gave me a freakin' black eye. Damn it, Annie, you know better than to hit me in the face."

She snorted. "Well maybe if you hadn't decided to abduct me into a dark closet like some sort of creepy rapist..."

"And maybe I wouldn't have had to do this if you weren't avoiding me," he accused.

Her eyes having adjusted to the darkness, Annie looked up at his face.

"I'm not avoiding you," she fibbed.

"You're a crappy liar, Annie."

She blushed. "Okay, so I've been avoiding you. What do you want me to say?"

He tilted his head to the side in a move so reminiscent of Abed that she felt a pang in her stomach.

"You could explain to me why you're avoiding me. I told you I had feelings for you two weeks ago. Don't you have anything to say about that?"

Annie bit her lip as she contemplated the best response. Honestly, she had been rather more preoccupied by Abed's kiss than she had by Jeff's declaration. Yes, she had thought about it occasionally; she just wasn't sure how to handle it. And the kiss had taken precedence because she actually lived with Abed. Plus, there was that whole thing where she had wanted him to kiss her, really kiss her, for the past couple of months.

"I'm not actually sure what to say," she began cautiously. "For two years, that was what I wanted more than anything else. But you didn't say what I wanted to hear. You denied that you felt anything the entire time. You told me, in front of all of our friends, that anything I perceived as having any significance between us was all in my head."

"I shouldn't have done that," he admitted in a low voice. "There was always something between us; I just didn't want there to be because you were so young. That's not a reason anymore."

Annie laughed bitterly. "Here's the thing, Jeff. You were actually kind of right. I wanted you to love me because if someone as damaged as you could then I was clearly worthy of being loved. I was attracted to you and I liked you, but I don't think I ever truly loved you, Jeff. Abed helped me see that the first day that we were in the Dreamatorium."

"Abed did, huh?" Jeff asked.

His tone was strange, but Annie brushed it off.

"Yes. I'm sorry if that's not the answer you want, but I've moved on. Even if I hadn't figured out that I didn't love you, I still would have moved on. I couldn't wait for you forever, and you don't actually expect that I would have, do you?" she finally finished, heart beating rapidly at finally being completely honest with him.

She really hoped that she hadn't just ruined their friendship. That would be awful because before his admission on Halloween, they had been getting along better than ever.

Annie was just opening her mouth to ask if they were okay when he grabbed the back of her head and smashed his lips to hers. She let out a surprised gasp and gripped his arms to steady herself from the force of the movement, which had knocked her back a step. That wasn't the reaction that she had expected to her words!

She was still attracted to Jeff, so when he skimmed her lips with his tongue, she opened to him. But even as his tongue plundered the depths of her mouth, all she could think was that he wasn't Abed. Yes, Jeff had skill and his kiss had made the butterflies in her stomach take flight, but it just wasn't the same as when she kissed Abed. With him, her mind had blanked, her heart had raced, and her stomach had knotted with tension. She had melted into Abed but she was finding it difficult to relax into Jeff's body, partially because she couldn't get her mind to shut down. It was just so weird kissing him now that she had moved past her feelings for him. Which was unfortunate because Abed _didn't_ want her and Jeff _did_.

When Annie realized that kissing Jeff like this would send him the wrong message, she broke contact and backed away from him.

"I'm sorry, Jeff. I shouldn't lead you on like that when I know that nothing's going to happen," she apologized, staring up at him through the darkness.

His expression was determined. "You kissed me back, Annie. No matter what you say, there is something between us and I'm not going to just let that go. I'm not going to let you go now that I know what I want. Not without a fight."

Stepping around her, he left the closet. When the door shut, Annie leaned back against it in defeat.

The sad thing was that if it weren't for Abed, she probably would have fallen right into Jeff's kiss.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

Silence fell over the group when Annie stopped talking. Staring around, she saw that her friends were absorbing her words. She was worried about how they would perceive her now that they knew that she had kissed Jeff so soon after her not-a-date with Abed.

"She's too good for you," Pierce finally declared, glaring at Jeff. "You can't have her."

Jeff scowled. "I can too. In fact, I..."

"Jeff!" Annie yelled, interrupting him.

He quieted down and frowned at her, picking his phone back up. Annie glanced over at Abed to find that the corners of his mouth were slightly downturned. She met his eyes apologetically and he gave a nearly imperceptible nod of acknowledgement.

"I have more to add to that story," he said blankly.

Startled, Annie asked, "What?"

She didn't know how Abed could have anything to add. He hadn't exactly been present in the closet.

"Yes. In the interest of completing your story, I have to share my part."

ooooo

_Wednesday, November 14, 2012_

Abed frowned slightly as he observed the study group. Troy, Britta, Shirley, and Pierce were acting according to their written characters, and that was as it should be. Jeff and Annie were off character today, however.

When they had arrived for their study session today, he had immediately noticed that Jeff had a new black eye. It was completely out of place, but when Britta had asked about it, he had avoided the question. This led Abed to believe that he had received it in an embarrassing manner.

Abed's dark eyes slid over to Annie. He felt the hitch in his breathing that always occurred when he looked at her. The first time that had happened in August, he had felt distinctly unsettled. He had immediately scanned his well-being for any perceptible flaws. He hadn't found anything wrong with his health. Since, it had occurred every time she came within his view since then, he had simply accepted it as an anomaly in the way his body functioned. He still didn't understand why Annie would have an effect on his breathing, though. It wasn't logical.

That, however, was off plot. Today, Annie appeared paler than usual. She had her eyes on her book but she hadn't turned the page in 3.5 minutes. That was unusual because Annie normally read at a rate of one page per every two minutes. Her slower rate was a sure sign that she was upset about something. He felt the urge to ask her what was wrong on the chance that he could fix it.

The desire to make Annie happy was another new one. He had never liked to see her upset, of course, but the need to be the one responsible for her happiness was unusual. Like the breathing, he had accepted it as a strange tic that would eventually go away if he ignored it long enough. Their recent kiss suggested that he was incorrect in his assessment of both conditions as temporary, though.

He had really enjoyed kissing her, and now that he knew that she had liked it just as much, he found it more difficult to resist the want to kiss her. Only his dedication to his role as the group's director kept him from following through on the desire. He couldn't afford a storyline and each time he kissed Annie, it would lower his resistance to gaining a romantic arc with her.

"Let's just be done for the day," the object of his observation announced, finally looking up from her book.

"Thank God," Troy declared.

"Troy Barnes. Do not take the Lord's name in vain," Shirley scolded him, fully in character today.

While the others hurried to gather their things and exit, Abed took his time packing his books away. If he lingered long enough, he could walk Annie to their Religion class and discover the cause of her preoccupation. He needed to know if it affected the overall plot.

When he looked up, he saw that Jeff was still in the room. That was so highly unusual that Abed made a mental note of it for further processing in his mini-Dreamatorium. He pulled the straps of his backpack over his shoulders and turned his gaze on Annie once again, ignoring the breath hitch. She had just slid her bag into place.

"I can walk you to class, Annie," he offered, aware that his voice lacked any sort of inflection.

When she smiled at him in response, his heart skipped a beat. Taking in this new irregularity, Abed wondered if he should visit a doctor to ensure that he was healthy. But then he remembered that he hated doctors more than anything else, including the fourth Indiana Jones installment, and he put that thought aside.

Annie came around the table to stand next to him. The smell of strawberries and her shampoo washed over him. He wondered if she knew that strawberries were his favorite scent. It used to be apples, but at some point over the last year, that had changed.

She preceded him through the door. When Abed started to follow her, Jeff stopped him.

"Can I talk to you for a moment, Abed?"

He felt a rare moment of frustration with the study group's lead. He had a niggling suspicion that it was linked to the interruption of his brief alone time with Annie, but he didn't have time to study that response at the moment. He placed it on the list of information for his next session in the mini-Dreamatorium.

"Of course, Jeff."

When Jeff stopped in front of him, Abed studied him, waiting with an edge of impatience for him to speak. If Jeff hurried, there was a chance that he could still catch Annie.

"You've been spending a lot of time with Annie lately, haven't you?" the older man finally questioned.

Of all the things that he could have asked, Abed wouldn't have predicted that one.

"We are roommates, Jeff," he answered honestly.

"Aside from that, though. You used to hang out in the Dreamatorium with her, you visit her at work, and Troy told me that the two of you went to dinner Saturday."

"Yes," Abed said. "We're friends."

He wondered where Jeff was going. There wasn't a conversation like this anywhere in his script.

"So, as friends, did Annie tell you that I admitted my feelings for her?"

Abed's every muscle stilled. "No, she didn't mention it."

"I see," he murmured.

Abed waited for him to continue. He was sure that he had more to say.

"It took me a couple of years to get here, but now I actually have a chance at giving Annie what she's always wanted," Jeff finally stated, staring at Abed. "It would be a shame if anything or anyone got in the way of her happiness, don't you agree?"

Abed felt his irritation spike to a surprising level. He may miss most social cues, but even he understood that Jeff was leveling a threat of some sort at him. He didn't say anything about it though.

"That would be a bad thing," he simply agreed.

He meant it too. He wanted Annie to have happiness, but he was starting to wonder if she would truly find that with Jeff. She certainly didn't seem to think so since she had told Abed that she didn't love the other man on her first visit to the Dreamatorium. Plus, she had kissed Abed and he doubted she would do that if she was both in love with Jeff _and _knew that he wanted her. He frowned internally. He couldn't afford to think like that. Annie was meant to be with Jeff according to the plot. She was the female lead and he was the male lead. While the rules for the male lead were flexible, since the female lead was nearly always defined by being the romantic interest of the male lead, the female lead never took a second or third option due to that same rule. That was why the role of female lead had shifted from Britta to Annie.

"Glad we understand each other," Jeff said easily before leaving the study room.

Once he was gone, Abed allowed himself a visible frown. He understood that Jeff had just subtly warned him away from Annie. Which meant that the older man saw him as a threat.

He couldn't help but wonder: what had Annie said to Jeff about him to trigger the other man's insecurities?

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"What?" Annie yelped when Abed finished telling his story. She glared at Jeff. "You actually threatened him to stay away from me?"

Jeff held up his hands. "I didn't threaten him at any point. I simply let him know what was going on with us."

"_Ugh!_ That was...I just...I don't even know how to express my irritation that you did that!" Annie stumbled out angrily. "You had _no _right! You and I weren't dating and you didn't even know that Abed and I had kissed at any point."

Jeff stared right back at her. "I'm a man, Annie. Even without knowing that you two had kissed, I could see the signs that you had a crush on him. You seemed to work him into every conversation that we had. And he clearly liked you. It didn't escape my notice that he was spending practically all of his free time with you. The guy spent hours at the sandwich shop just because you were there. I wasn't threatening him, but I did want him to know that I was making my play for you."

Annie groaned in frustration and dropped her head into her hands to scowl at the table. _Men!_

Britta stared between the three of them.

"As awful as Jeff's actions were, and as much as I really want to explain to Abed exactly what his physical responses to you meant, although I suspect he may have figured them out since then, let's get the story back on track. Things were complicated for you at that point, weren't they, Annie?"

She sighed and raised her head. "Horribly so. For the first time since rehab I was happy that Thanksgiving was right around the corner."

"You don't like Thanksgiving, Annie?" Shirley asked, her voice surprised.

Annie shook her head. "Thanksgiving is a day to spend with family, and, well, I don't have a real family. Not anymore. Even though Troy's family doesn't celebrate, they were still planning to spend the day together. Britta was going with him to meet them for the first time. Abed had plans with his dad. So, I was going to be spending the day alone once again. And, to top it off, I got sick the day before. It was all set to be the worst Thanksgiving ever. But it ended up being one of the best, thanks to Abed."

"Why?" Britta asked curiously.

Annie smiled fondly at the memory.

"Because he took me to Paris."

ooooo

_Thursday, November 22, 2012_

Annie was woken up by a loud crash in the living room. Getting out of bed, she hesitated a moment while her head swam. When she was sure she had her balance, she left the room. She thought she was supposed to have the apartment to herself today.

Entering the living room, she was surprised to find Abed still in his pajamas. He was crouched on the ground, cleaning up shards of Mr. Whiskers' empty urn, which they had agreed to let Britta keep as a reminder of her favorite cat after she scattered the ashes. Judging from the strange angle of the end table, Abed must have run into it while still half-asleep.

She sneezed. He glanced up.

"Don't tell Britta."

"Your secret's safe with me," she reassured him, reaching out to grip the back of Troy's recliner when a wave of dizziness hit her. "Why are you still here?"

"You're sick," he answered matter-of-factly as if it should be obvious.

"I know that, Abed. But what does it have to do with anything?"

"You're sick," he repeated.

Raising an eyebrow, Annie watched him carry the broken shards of the urn into the kitchen and toss them in the trash. When he opened the refrigerator instead of coming back to her, she accepted that was the only answer that she was going to get.

"What about your dad?"

"He doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving since he didn't move here until after I was born, so he doesn't care what day I come over. I'll visit him later this weekend after Troy and Britta get back," he explained blankly.

"Okay," she said.

She sneezed again and grimaced when she had to find a tissue. She hated being sick. Not that anyone liked it, of course, but she especially hated it. It made school, work, and studying much more difficult. When she came back out of her bedroom, the box of tissues clutched in her hands, she curled up in Troy's recliner, flipping the TV onto the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.

Completely miserable, she watched the parade, enjoying the floats, performances, and giant balloons as best she could between the sneezes, nose-blowing, sore throat, and difficulty breathing. Ten minutes in, she decided to find something to eat so that she could take some medicine without getting a stomach ache too. Standing up, she headed to the kitchen, only to halt at the sight before her.

Abed was standing over the stove, stirring something in a skillet. Egg shells littered the kitchen counter, and Annie fought back her immediate urge to sanitize everything. As germy as she was, she would probably do more damage than the eggs.

"What are you doing, Abed?" she croaked out.

"Making scrambled eggs."

"I see that. Why?"

"You need to eat."

Her heart warmed at his response. He was cooking her breakfast? That was surprisingly sweet of him. Shuffling forward, Annie pulled a glass out of one of the cabinets and filled it with orange juice. Sipping from the glass and grimacing when the acidity hurt her throat, she leaned against the counter for stability and watched Abed cook.

"Go sit down," he commanded.

His voice was firm, so Annie listened and took her orange juice with her back to Troy's recliner. She watched the parade for a few minutes more, curious about Abed's behavior.

"Here."

Abed held a plate of eggs out to her, his expression uncertain, and Annie took it. Looking down, she could see that he wasn't the best cook. There were bits of burnt egg scattered in among the fluffy yellow pieces, but the fact that he had made the effort was enough to get Annie to force herself to eat a little bit. When she was finished, she got up long enough to take her cold medicine before curling back up in the recliner. Abed disappeared once he was done, and Annie heard water running in the kitchen. She grinned when she realized that he was doing the dishes without prompting.

Annie finished watching the parade. Abed reappeared about halfway through to watch with her in silence. When Santa appeared at the end to his great excitement, she couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm for Christmas. His next action, unplugging the TV and shoving the table holding it and the X-Box 360 across the room so that it was inside of the blanket fort, made her less happy.

"Abed, I'm sick," she whined. "Bring the TV back."

He didn't listen to her. Instead, he plugged the TV in and flipped it back on before returning to pick up several DVD rentals from the table next to his recliner.

"We're having a movie marathon in the blanket fort today, Annie."

Groaning, she hauled herself out of Troy's chair, pausing momentarily for the dizziness to subside, and moved over to the blanket fort. When she looked up at the top bunk, she felt a sense of vertigo wash over her.

"I don't think I can climb up there, Abed."

"You can share my bunk," he offered expressionlessly.

Thankful that she felt too miserable to focus on her attraction to him today, Annie lowered herself onto his bed. She scooted back so that she was leaning against the wall.

"What are we watching?"

"Moulin Rouge, Sabrina, Midnight in Paris, and The Pink Panther."

Annie frowned as she noticed a theme in the movies.

"Those are all set in Paris," she pointed out in confusion.

"You used the Dreamatorium to visit Paris," he said impassively.

She had; it was her favorite simulation. But how had he known that? And then she remembered part of their conversation the night they had disassembled the Dreamatorium.

_"I think I'm actually going to miss the Dreamatorium."_

Turning around, she saw that Abed was once again studying her with his head tilted to the side.

"You will?"

"Yeah," Annie sighed out. "I really will. How am I going to visit Paris now?"

He had remembered that all this time? She was touched and the warmth that had started in her heart with the eggs grew into a full blown glow.

She laughed through The Pink Panther even though it hurt her throat. When they watched Moulin Rouge, she started to lose what little energy she had, her eyelids lowering and her head drooping to the side to rest on Abed's shoulder. They paused there for a lunch of buttered noodles and another dose of medicine for her. When he put in Midnight in Paris after lunch, she stopped fighting to stay upright and curled up on her side, her head on Abed's surprisingly comfortable thigh. She was amazed when he let her just stay there instead of pushing her off. By the time Sabrina started, Annie was quickly losing her fight with sleep. She had moved up the bed to lay her head on Abed's pillow, her legs laying across his since he was still sitting crossways on the bunk. She was out by the title screen, lulled into slumber by the spicy, masculine scent of Abed that clung to the pillow.

When Annie woke up, the blanket fort was completely dark and the TV was off. She startled slightly when she realized that a warm arm was wrapped around her waist, holding her back against a solid chest. A light breath ruffled her hair. She was shocked that Abed had opted to stay down here with her instead of moving to the top bunk. Rolling over, she took in his features, as soft in sleep as she remembered.

She thought that she really should get up and go to her bedroom. Then again, she _was_ sick and Abed _had _chosen to share the bed with her instead of waking her up or moving. And his embrace was so warm and comforting...

Taking advantage of what would likely be a once in a lifetime opportunity, Annie snuggled into his chest and fell back asleep.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Awe!" both Shirley and Britta exclaimed.

"Dude, you actually did sleep with Annie that night," Troy pointed out in amazement. "Why didn't you tell me about that?"

"It was a one time thing," Abed explained. "I knew it wouldn't happen again, so there was no point in mentioning it."

"Then why did you share the bed with her?" Britta asked curiously.

Abed's brow furrowed as he considered the question.

"She was sleeping. Since she was sick, I didn't want to wake her up. The bottom bunk is my bed, not hers. The only solution was to share," he enlightened them in his usual monotone.

The others considered that answer.

"If I haven't said it before, Abed, thank you for feeding me and keeping me company that day," Annie said with a warm smile.

"Cool, cool, cool," he replied with a small upward quirk to his lips.

"What is with you two?" Jeff questioned, confusion evident in his tone instead of anger for once. "I tell you," he pointed at Annie, "about how I feel and you immediately run off and kiss him. I tell you," he pointed at Abed, "that I'm going after her and you immediately sleep with her."

Annie frowned. "It wasn't like we had...well, you know."

"Sex," Abed filled in for her.

"Yeah, that."

"I think you're fighting a losing battle there, Jeff, my boy," Pierce noted in his most deceptively kind tone. "Big boobs seems to want the terrorist."

"The story's not over yet," Jeff reminded them darkly.

A/N 2: Sorry to my Annie/Abed shippers for the Jeff/Annie kissing in this chapter, but I did warn you that they would be a factor. Also, my first segment written from Abed's POV. Yay! I hope it came out okay and you guys enjoyed it. I know there was a lot of fluff in this chapter, but don't worry - the drama's not over. Not by a long shot.


	8. Holidays and Addiction

Spoilers: Anything up to and including the season three finale, 'Introduction to Finality'. In fact, several of the scenes in that episode's final montage will find their way into this story as I provide my own events that lead up to them.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. If I had any claim on Community, Abed would be all mine.

A/N: Wow, so last chapter had barely any reviews, which was sort of depressing. I do hope to get more of a response for this chapter, just so I know if there's more than just a handful of readers enjoying this story. I'll admit that this is really more of a filler chapter than anything else. I'm not 100% happy with it, but there were segments that I really enjoyed writing. I'm fighting with my computer right now, too. I had to try about twenty or so times before I finally got it to boot up this afternoon, so, as a warning, I'm not sure how long it will be before I get the next chapter up. As always, I'd like to thank my reviewers, especially since there were so few of you: Jade, XcrazyrandomhappenstanceX, MarchesaLace, Lucy36, Carnivorous Flamingo, and MC-Aitlyn. Thank you so much for your reviews. I look forward to hearing from you guys! I'd love to hear from more of my readers, too. Please read and review! Thanks!

Chapter Eight: Holidays and Addiction

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"What does he mean by that, Annie?" Shirley asked, a scary smile in place. "Is there more of Jeffrey in this story?"

Annie bit her lip and nodded. "Yes, but not for a bit. We had hit the week leading up to finals, and I wasn't handling it the best. I was really starting to worry that I wouldn't be sufficiently prepared because I wasn't able to devote as much time to studying as I normally did. I know that debate had ended, but I was still working at the sandwich shop. Of course, thanks to my panic over finals, I didn't have time to worry about either Abed or Jeff."

"It sounds like you had a chance to finally relax, then," Troy mused.

Annie frowned. "Were you not listening to me? Of course I couldn't relax. Finals were coming up! Don't you remember my breakdown?"

ooooo

_Friday, December 7, 2012_

"Annie!"

Ignoring the sound of her name, Annie slid her highlighter over the words in her notebook. She had to make sure that she remembered the names of the individual carpals, but she had developed some sort of mental block around them. When the highlighter ran out halfway through the word lunate, she let out a frustrated growl. Putting the cap back on it, she dropped it on the table. She was positive that had been her last working highlighter, but she was desperate, so she dove for her bag next to her chair. Pulling it into her lap, she pried it open and half-buried herself in it as she dug through the books, papers, and other sundry supplies that had become disorganized searching for a working highlighter that probably didn't exist.

"Annie!"

This time when Britta yelled her name, Annie pulled her head out of her backpack and glared at her.

"What?"

The blonde jerked back from Annie's irate stare and vehement tone. When she recovered, she leaned toward the brunette.

"We're at lunch. For the love of all that is good in this world, put your notes away and eat. You'll have plenty of time to study this weekend."

"Not enough," Annie protested. "I have to work tonight and I still have way too much to cover. Two days won't be enough time! And I still can't remember the names of the carpals for Anatomy and I don't understand the ending of Lost for our pop culture class. And now my highlighters have all died!"

Annie could feel the tears forming. She was under so much stress. She needed something to take the edge off like the adderall had in high school. It had helped her focus. She felt her stomach knot up, the old craving for the pill working its way up her spine. She just needed one. If she had one, she would be able to concentrate and get through her finals. If she only had one, it couldn't be considered a true relapse.

When Annie realized exactly what she was thinking, she felt the color drain out of her face. Was she actually considering taking adderall? Was she really under so much stress that it had regained its appeal? Letting out a squeak and ignoring the study group's stares, Annie wrapped her arms around her bag and ran out of the cafeteria.

She was sitting in the closet closest to the cafeteria, her arms wrapped around her legs, sobbing, when the door opened five minutes later.

"Go away," she commanded, not moving her head from her knees.

"Annie, what's going on?"

Britta's voice was soft and not at all psych majorish, so Annie raised her head. She was relieved to find that the blonde was the only one standing in the doorway.

"I'll help you if I can."

Annie shook her head, swiping at her wet cheeks.

"But that's just it, Britta. I don't think you can help me."

She shrugged. "We'll never know for sure if you don't talk to me."

Annie just stared up at her. She didn't think that she could handle the judgement when Britta found out that she was fighting the urge to relapse. It was just so stupid. She had dealt with school stress since rehab and she had never wanted to take adderall. Why was this year so different? When the vision of two faces floated in front of her eyes, she blinked to clear them. She couldn't possibly blame them for her weakness, not even indirectly, no matter how much extra stress they had caused her and she had caused herself over them. But she also couldn't talk to Britta because if she did, the whole long story might come pouring out.

"I can't," Annie mumbled quietly.

She fully expected Britta to give up, so she was surprised when instead she stepped into the closet and pulled the door shut behind her.

"Wow. It is really dark in here," she murmured.

Annie heard her shuffle forward and pulled her legs into her chest even tighter.

"Don't step on me," she pleaded.

"I'm not going to."

There was a loud crash and something small and hard bounced off Annie's head.

"Ow! Britta, you're the worst!"

"Sorry, sorry."

Annie felt Britta stop next to her and the blonde slid down to the floor. Annie stretched her legs out.

"I'm not going anywhere, you know. Even if you don't want to talk."

Britta had come to rest so that their legs and shoulders were pressed together. In Annie's stressed state, the human contact drew her in and she let her head fall onto her friend's shoulder. Britta, unused to physical contact, initially stiffened before relaxing with a resigned sigh. They sat there like that in the dark closet, Annie regaining her composure and Britta silently supporting her.

"Annie? Can I say something?" Britta asked ten minutes later.

"Hmm?"

Britta shifted slightly. "I know we laugh about your studying, but if it's stressing you out this much, then maybe it really is time for you to take a break."

Annie hummed in acknowledgement.

"And can I make a suggestion?"

"You will whether or not I say yes."

Britta chuckled and Annie could hear the smile in her voice when she said, "You're right about that." She sobered. "You should spend more time with Abed."

Annie took in a sharp breath.

"I'm not saying you should date him," her friend hurried on. "That would actually be super weird. Partly because it would be you and Abed, but mostly because it would be Abed. And I can't even picture him kissing anyone, let alone actually dating them."

Annie held back a laugh at that. If only Britta knew...

"But you're always so much happier and more relaxed after you hang out with him. He's good for you, Annie."

After that she fell silent again, and they sat there quietly for another five minutes.

"Hey, Britta," Annie finally said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"You may be the worst, but you're kind of a great friend."

"Uh, _duh-doy_, Annie."

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Awe. That's nice," Shirley said, grinning happily.

"You didn't relapse, did you, Annie?" Troy asked, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "That would be a really bad story."

Annie smiled softly. "No, Troy I didn't. Since then, I've been going to Narcotics Anonymous meetings at the community center every Tuesday morning since I don't have class then. They helped me to get the craving back under control. And now there's zero chance that I'll relapse," she added quietly, her thoughts wandering off.

"If you ever need someone to talk to about your addiction, I'm here," Pierce said, a rare serious expression on his face. "I've been through it too, so I understand."

Annie came back to the present and beamed at him. Sometimes, he did nice things that reminded her why they kept him in the group.

"Thank you, Pierce. I'll keep that in mind."

"It's wonderful that Annie didn't relapse," Jeff interjected sincerely. "It really is. But I can't help but notice that you were pushing her toward Abed, Britta."

Britta shifted uncomfortably but stared Jeff down defiantly.

"I wasn't encouraging her to date him. I think I was pretty clear about that. And I still think that would be pretty weird, but listening to her story, I'm starting to come around to the idea. Abed seems to be a little different when he's around her, almost human."

Annie rolled her eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you guys that he is human?"

"We know that Abed's a human," Shirley pacified her. "He doesn't behave in a very human manner though. Unless he's in character, or, apparently, with you. I could have sworn I saw him smile when you threw your highlighter at him earlier."

"Speaking of the highlighters," Annie interrupted, attempting to draw their speculation off of the influence that she and Abed had on each other. "We've actually reached the point where they're relevant."

ooooo

_Thursday, December 20, 2012_

"Why, Mr. Bear, I would be honored to attend your gala," Annie squeaked in a high-pitched voice.

When a knocking sounded on her open door, she quickly shoved the stuffed bear and rabbit that she was playing with behind her back. She looked over guiltily to find Abed standing in the doorway. He was watching her, and she knew that she had been caught.

"You're throwing a gala?" he asked, his voice tinged with the barest traces of amusement.

Annie knew that he was laughing at her even if he wasn't doing so outright, so she threw the fluffy purple bunny at him.

"Oh, don't laugh. I'm bored!"

In all honesty, she had been terribly bored since winter break began.

He caught the toy as he entered the room. When he stopped in front of the bed, he dropped the animal back into her lap. His expression settled back into its usual neutrality.

"I have a proposition for you."

She raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Really?"

"Yes. I'm beginning production on my end of year film project. It will serve as the final exam for Emotions in Film 102. I am required to film and star in a full movie that evokes several emotions in the audience," he explained matter-of-factly.

"So, what? Do you need me to review the script for you?"

That seemed like the most logical reason that he would want her help.

"I need you to star in it."

Annie's eyes widened. "Oh, no. I know that I filmed that one scene for you, but that was only because you were in a bind and your usual actors were busy. It was a onetime thing."

Annie knew that she could read Abed really well when she recognized the disappointment in his eyes.

"I finished the script earlier today. It's based on the scene that we shot earlier. I wrote the rest of the story."

She groaned quietly and then quickly perked up.

"So you can just reuse the footage that we shot earlier to fill the love scene requirement, right?"

He nodded. "To do that, you have to agree to star in the rest of the movie, though."

Frowning, Annie considered her options. If she said no, he would either have to rewrite his entire script or reshoot the love scene, and it was obvious which would be easiest. The idea of Abed making out with some other woman made her grit her teeth. It didn't matter that they would be in character; she just didn't like the idea of someone else kissing him. She tried to fight back her jealousy, but it was far too strong. Shaking her head to clear it, she scowled. Well, that was it then. If she didn't want to obsess over what Abed was doing while he was filming his movie, then she would have to star in it.

"Okay, I'm in, Abed. But can you work the shooting schedule around my job and my classes? I can't afford to miss either of those."

He offered her a rare, if small, smile. "I can. Thank you, Annie."

When he turned around to leave, Annie picked up her bear and bunny to get back to her gala plans. At least Britta would be happy that she was spending more time with him, she mused. She was straightening the rabbit's crumpled right ear when Abed spoke again.

"Annie."

Annie's cheeks heated at seeing her playing with her stuffed animals yet again. She looked up to find that he was digging in the deep left pocket of his plaid shirt. He pulled out a flat package and held it out for her. When Annie took it, she saw that it was a five pack of multicolored Office Max highlighters.

"These are from Office Max," she declared in awe. "How did you get these? They banned us."

"I ordered them online," he stated plainly.

She grimaced. "But the shipping is so expensive."

"I'm foregoing December's DVD purchase so I can afford it," he admitted expressionlessly.

"Oh, Abed. Why would you do that? I can use a different brand."

Annie felt horrible. She knew as well as anyone that Abed bought one new DVD a month to add to his collection. She hated that he had decided to give that up to buy her highlighters that came with an eight dollar delivery fee attached. She was shocked that he would interrupt his routine for her.

"They're your favorites and it's our fault you're banned."

Although his voice was toneless as usual, she detected traces of guilt in his dark eyes. At the sight, she decided not to argue and simply accept the gift.

"Thank you, Abed."

With a small nod, he exited the room. Annie laid back on the bed, lifting the highlighters so that she could look up at them. Even though she felt bad, she couldn't deny the small thrill that he had given up his monthly DVD for her. And she was overjoyed to have a package of her favorite highlighters in her hands. Dropping her arms back onto the bed, she stared at the ceiling.

She fought the urge to seek out Abed and kiss him for all she was worth.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Ha!" Pierce shouted. "So we will get to see the sex scene when we watch the movie."

Annie felt the color drain from her face. _Dear God. _She hadn't thought of that.

"Man, you gave up your DVD for her. That's some major stuff," Troy announced with amazement, dragging her away from that disturbing thought.

"You should have kissed him," Britta declared, her voice reflecting what an opportunity she thought Annie had missed.

Annie laughed. "For someone who said not even five minutes ago how weird you thought Abed and I would be as a couple, you sure seem upset."

The blonde shrugged. "Like I said, the idea has been growing on me since you started telling us this story."

"Well I'm already completely supportive of you two," Shirley proclaimed, gazing around the room as if expecting someone to challenge her statement. "You treat each other nicely and you bring out the best in each other." She beamed at both Abed and Annie. "And you would make positively adorable babies. Once you're married, of course," she added sternly.

Annie felt the color drain from her face. "Uh..."

Looking over at Abed, she saw him gulp.

"So, uh, the next time anything very interesting happened was when we all got together for our holiday dinner," Annie rushed out, wanting to move the conversation well away from the topics of marriage and babies.

ooooo

_Monday, December 24, 2012_

"I really don't think this is the best idea, Shirley," Annie whispered. "I live with Britta. I've eaten her cooking before." She paused and rephrased that. "I mean, I've tried to eat her cooking before, but it's not exactly edible."

She glanced over at the blonde who was standing next to the counter in Shirley's kitchen. She had volunteered to help cook dinner in exchange for adding a vegetarian dish to the menu. Shirley had agreed immediately, but Annie was rather more hesitant based on past experiences with the blonde's cooking.

"Don't worry, Annie," Shirley reassured her. "Britta just needs proper instruction and then I'm sure that her food will be perfectly tasty. Anyone can cook."

"Ratatouille," Annie announced. Shirley gave her a confused look and Annie blushed. "I may be spending too much time with Abed."

"I see," she said, smiling. "That's nice to hear."

Annie's blush deepened, but luckily, Shirley's attention had drifted back to Britta. "Well, anyone can cook as long as they know how to follow a recipe."

"I would normally offer to help, Shirley, but I really don't want to be here for this. Do you mind if I...?" She gestured over her shoulder at the door into the dining room.

"Fine. I'll call you if we need help."

_That should take all of five minutes_, Annie thought to herself as she scurried out of the kitchen.

She passed through the dining room and into the living room where Andre, Pierce, and Jeff were watching a football game. Annie had very little interest in joining them, but when she passed by the couch, Jeff reached up and snagged her wrist. He pulled and Annie lost her balance, sprawling across his lap.

"Jeff!" she cried, sitting up and scrambling off him.

When she was seated next to him, she yanked her wrist free and smacked him in the arm.

"Quit it, killer," he admonished with a charming smile.

Annie huffed and rolled her eyes. "Did you need something?"

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Nothing but your beautiful presence."

"Boo!" Pierce heckled him.

"_Ugh_. That's so corny, Jeff," she complained.

"You just don't know how to take a compliment," he rebutted, shifting his gaze back to the TV.

"Sure I do," she argued, "when it's actually sincere."

"Jeff, Annie's a little too classy to fall for lines," Andre contributed, causing Annie to beam at him.

She had babysat for Shirley on several occasions over the summer, so she had gotten to know the entire Bennett family quite well. It had taken her a little while to warm up to Andre, given what he had done to Shirley in the past, but he had patiently waited to earn her trust. Annie had to admit that she didn't see much of the man who had cheated with a stripper anymore. He seemed to be a wholly devoted husband and father.

"See. Andre understands," she agreed. "Hey. Where are Abed and Troy?"

Jeff let out an agitated noise. Looking over at him, Annie could see that his jaw had tightened. She didn't have a chance to ponder that, though, because Andre answered her.

"They're in the playroom with the boys."

A squeal sounded from down the hall followed by a peal of laughter. Immediately deciding that sounded more fun than watching football, Annie hopped up.

"I'm gonna go see what they're doing," she announced.

"You don't want to stay here with me, Annie?" Jeff asked.

Annie made a face at him. "No. You're watching football."

Before he could grab her again, she hurried across the room and into the hall that led to the bedrooms. When she reached the second door on the right, she turned into the brightly lit room. She grinned when she saw that all four boys had broken out the Nerf guns and were in the middle of a very active war.

"Intruder!" Nine year-old Jordan yelled when he spotted Annie. "Get her!"

As Troy and Jordan started shooting at her, Annie laughed and dodged the foam arrows.

"I'm unarmed!" she yelled, as she ducked behind the chalkboard easel to avoid their shots.

She heard scuffling and, peeking around the easel, she saw the two of them moving toward her. When they let loose another volley, Annie squealed as ten year-old Elijah threw himself in front of her, taking the arrows. Fully into the game, he dropped to the ground. Grabbing his hands, she pulled him behind the easel to safety.

"You're...safe...now...Annie..." he gasped out, letting his eyelids flutter closed.

Annie bit back a smile. The preteen was one decent little actor; Abed should keep him in mind if he ever needed to shoot a scene with a child.

"Your sacrifice will not be in vain," she said solemnly, taking his gun and brushing a motherly kiss across his forehead like she did on the nights that she had to put him and his brother to bed.

"Totally worth it," he mumbled out, making Annie laugh.

Making sure the gun was loaded, she checked around the edge of the easel. She spotted Abed hiding behind the loveseat near the wall adjacent to her current position. Troy and Jordan were behind a large toy chest opposite the loveseat, celebrating their defeat of Elijah. Gathering that they were playing as teams, Annie knew that meant her partner was Abed. While the other two were distracted by their victory, she tucked her gun under her arm and crawled across the floor on one hand and her knees to Abed's position. When she reached the loveseat, she sat down next to him and leaned against the furniture.

He looked over at her. "War is hell. It's no place for a lady."

Annie fought not to grin. Abed was clearly in character, and while she loved Abed out of character, Abed in character was just plain fun.

She fixed a grave expression on her face. "Then it's a good thing I'm no lady."

"How did he die?"

"Very nobly. He saved my life."

Abed nodded. "We need to take them out. It's the least Elijah deserves."

"Agreed," Annie said seriously.

"On the count of three. One."

"Two."

"Three."

Abed and Annie sprang out of their hiding place on either side of the loveseat, storming forward at Troy and Jordan, who both let out screams of surprise. After several seconds in which all four of them emptied their guns of ammunition, they called the war over. Annie, Troy, and the boys were all laughing really hard, and while Abed wasn't laughing, he had a slight smile on his face. When they calmed down, the Bennett boys faced her with an all too familiar expression on their faces.

"Tickle charge!" Jordan yelled.

As the two boys plus Troy rushed forward, Annie grabbed Abed's arm.

"Save me, Abed!" she pleaded.

She genuinely wanted out of there. Annie was extremely ticklish, something that the Bennett boys knew and used to torture her when she watched them. They were merciless and something told her that Troy would be even worse if he caught her. Still, she was shocked when Abed wrapped his arms around her waist and scooped her up to throw her over his shoulder. When she recovered from the surprise, Annie laughed as Abed sprinted out of the room and down the hallway into the living room.

She was still giggling when he dropped her to her feet.

"You should be safe now," he declared. "But I have to go back in there and subdue them if you're to remain out of harm's way."

"Thank you, kind sir," she tittered, fluttering her eyelashes like a proper damsel in distress.

Abed quirked an eyebrow at her before disappearing back down the hallway. When he was gone, Annie turned around and saw that, while Pierce was focused on the game, Jeff and Andre were watching her. Jeff looked distinctly upset and Andre's gaze was a combination of humor and speculation. It was the latter, the speculation, that made Annie blush.

"What?" she asked, hurrying away to the kitchen.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"How did you not know that there was something going on between Annie and Abed?" Britta burst out at Jeff, cutting off Annie's next words.

"I told you. I had already figured out that Annie had a crush on him. I thought it was just that and him being in character," the group leader defended himself.

"I think Andre knew then," Abed suggested. "He looked like he did, but I could be wrong. I don't always read people accurately."

Annie frowned. "That's what I thought too. And if he didn't then, he definitely did later."

ooooo

_Monday, December 24, 2012_

Annie arrived in the kitchen to find a confused Britta and completely agitated Shirley.

"I don't understand what I did wrong," the blonde was saying, staring into a pot dejectedly.

"Did you remember to stir the noodles?" Shirley asked in a tight voice. "When you don't stir, they clump up and stick to the bottom."

Not wanting to draw their attention, Annie crossed behind them to the fridge for a bottle of water as quietly as she could. She apparently shut the door too loudly, though, because Shirley rounded on her.

"Annie," she smiled her scary smile. "Would please check on Ben? Dinner is taking slightly longer than expected."

Fighting back the urge to say _I told you so_, Annie made her way to the twenty month-old's bedroom. When she entered, she saw that he was sitting up in his crib staring around the room, completely alert. She was surprised that he hadn't made any sort of fuss, but then again, he was a very calm, happy baby. When he spotted her, his face lit up.

"Nee up."

Annie smiled at the sound of his version of her name. Reaching down, she scooped him up. She immediately realized that he needed changed, so she carried him to the changing table. As she worked on his diaper, she kept up a one-sided conversation with the toddler that was punctuated by his noises. When she was done, she picked him up and rested him on her hip.

"You know how to change a diaper."

Startled, Annie jumped slightly at the sound of Abed's voice. Turning to the side, she saw him standing in the doorway stiffly.

"Yeah. You know that I babysit Ben pretty often. I have to know how to change a diaper."

"I don't know how to take care of kids," he admitted in his usual monotone.

"Oh. So, do you never plan on having kids, then?" she asked curiously while she bounced Ben slightly.

His brow furrowed as he pondered the question. Annie wondered why she was so interested. It wasn't like he'd be having kids with her if he did want them. Robin or someone else equally _unique _would probably be the mother. Maybe it was just that the thought of Abed with a baby was absolutely adorable.

"I never thought about it," he finally responded. "I like Elijah and Jordan, and Ben is objectively cute. I wouldn't know what to do, though."

Annie smiled, moving toward him. "Nobody knows what to do at first, Abed. I had never been around babies until Ben. Shirley taught me how to take care of him."

"Hmm," he hummed, head tilted as he took in her words.

"All anyone needs to be able to take care of kids is a willingness to learn, plenty of love to give, and a whole lot of patience. At least that's what Shirley says," she explained, pausing next to him in the doorway.

He turned his head to continue studying her.

"For what it's worth, Abed, I think you'd make a great dad. You have all three of those things in spades."

Leaving him standing there, Annie carried Ben into the living room and attempted not to dwell on the extremely weird conversation that she had just had with her roommate.

Dinner was a somewhat successful affair. Shirley's food was wonderful, but everyone steered clear of Britta's pasta dish. Well, except for Annie. She tried a little bit just to be nice, but it had the consistency of glue. The conversation was decidedly better than Britta's pasta, thankfully. When dinner ended, they worked as a team to clean up quickly. Once that was done, they bundled up and headed outside to play in the snow, or in Pierce's and Jeff's cases, to watch everyone else have fun.

Elijah and Jordan immediately pulled Troy, Abed, and Andre into a snowball fight. Annie wanted to build a snowman, so she talked Shirley and Britta into helping her.

Annie was rolling the middle section of the snowman and listening to Shirley gossip about her cousin who had just gotten engaged when a snowball hit her in the center of her back. Whipping around, she searched for the source but didn't see anyone. She had bent back over to continue rolling her ball when another snowball pegged her on the arm. This time she was quick enough to catch a flash of green coat and black hair disappearing behind a tree. Biting back a grin, Annie bent down again, but this time she rolled up a small snowball of her own.

When a snowball struck her in the back of the head, she was ready. She immediately spun around and lobbed her snowball in the direction of her assailant. She watched as it hit Abed square in the chest and burst into a shower of flakes. And just like that, she abandoned her snowman to join the guys in their fight. Scooping up a handful of snow, she ran past Shirley for cover, throwing the snowball that she formed at Troy when she passed him.

She dropped down behind the bush that she had run for to find that Jordan was already hiding there.

"Do you wanna be on my team?" he asked.

"Sure," she answered, working quickly to form a stack of ammunition.

When she heard Britta yell Troy's name, she knew that the blonde would be in the game now too. Peeking out from behind the bush, she hissed her friend's name. Britta glanced over and Annie gestured for her to join them. Thirty seconds later, she was dropping down next to Annie, taking out half her stack of ammo.

"Britta!" she cried. "You britta'd my snowballs."

Working together, the three of them built up their stores, including what Britta had destroyed. Once they had done that, they followed Jordan's orders to launch a full out assault on the rest of the players. With the three of them exposed, it didn't take long for the others to come out into the open. The snowball fight was furious, and Annie was having loads of fun. When Troy dumped a bunch of loose snow over her head that fell into her coat, however, she had to drop out.

"I'm too cold," she admitted when the others protested. "I have to warm up."

"Feel free to make some hot chocolate, Annie. You know where it is," Shirley offered as she passed the woman who was working on a second snowman with Jeff's help.

"Thanks, Shirley."

Climbing the stairs past Pierce, who was holding Ben (he was surprisingly good with the toddler) and shouting comments at the snowball fighters, Annie entered the house. Once inside, she slipped her shoes off and hung her coat on the coat rack. Moving into the kitchen, she filled the coffee pot with hot water and poured it into the back of the machine. After hitting the switch to start the water brewing, she turned around and saw that Abed had followed her inside. He must have been right behind her because he was also free of his coat and shoes.

"Do you want some hot chocolate, too?" she asked.

"Sounds good," he responded blankly.

Annie smiled and leaned back against the counter. "I've had so much fun today. It kind of reminds me of the time that we used to spend in the Dreamatorium. You know, sometimes I really miss running simulations with you, Abed."

She craned her head up to look at him and was surprised to find that he was staring down at her with heated eyes. He was moving toward her at a steady pace.

"Abed?" she asked, gulping.

"I'm going to kiss you, Annie," he announced, his words and intense eyes at odds with his flat tone. "Unless you don't want me to."

Annie gripped the edge of the counter behind her with both hands.

Keeping her gaze on his, she replied, "I should say no."

She watched as his expression fell nearly imperceptibly before continuing, "But I'm not going to."

That was apparently all that he needed to hear. He swooped down and captured her lips with his own. Immediately, Annie's heartbeat increased, her stomach knotted, and she melted into him, circling her arms around his neck to bury her fingers in his hair. When he quickly deepened the kiss, she responded instantly, opening her mouth to him and brushing her tongue against his. She shivered when he ran his hands down her back. Cupping her butt, he lifted her onto the counter so that she was at his level.

Abed broke contact with her lips to trail kisses up her jaw to her ear. When he pulled her earlobe gently between his teeth, Annie took in a sharp breath and lowered her hands to dig her fingers into his shoulders. Circling her legs around his hips, she pulled his body closer to her. The throbbing in her core had started up and she desperately wanted him to assuage it. Annie moved one had to grasp his hair and smoothly pulled his lips back to hers.

With the rejoining of their mouths, Abed let go of the counter to cup her cheek with one hand and run the other along her spine making her moan. She noticed that was one of his favorite areas to touch, and she loved the soothing yet tingling feel of his hand there. Curious, she let go of his shoulder and ran her own fingers down the line of his spine. She felt the lithe muscles under her hand contract and when he let out a low moan of his own, the first she had earned from him, she experienced a thrill that she had drawn a vocal response out of him.

The sound of the front door shutting pierced the haze of desire in her brain, bringing her back to her senses. Apparently Abed also heard it because he pulled back from Annie. Unlinking her legs from his hips, she let him back away completely and then hopped down off the counter as soon as she had room. She had just touched down when Andre entered the room.

"Is the hot chocolate...?"

He trailed off, and Annie saw him look at her and then Abed. His eyebrows shot up, and she knew, she just knew, that they had been caught. He may not have seen anything, but from the combination of amusement and awareness on his face, he knew exactly what they had been doing. She just prayed that he wouldn't say anything to them, or, God forbid, Shirley.

Annie cursed her fair skin when she felt her cheeks heat. She wished she could be as calm as Abed, whose face was completely blank.

"Is the hot chocolate done yet?" Andre asked, humor in his tone. "Or did you get too distracted to start it?"

Her blush deepening, Annie cleared her throat before she answered.

"The water's done. I just need to dig up the powder."

"I'll let you do that, then."

When he turned to leave, Annie was relieved to have gotten through the encounter with minimum awkwardness. Then he paused at the doorway and his next words turned her embarrassment up to an eleven.

"By the way, the others are on their way in," he commented, looking over his shoulder at them, laughter still present in his eyes. "Just so you know."

When he left, Annie buried her face in her hands with a groan while Abed started looking through the cabinets for the hot chocolate.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"I can't believe that man didn't tell me about the two of you," Shirley exclaimed, outraged at having missed out on juicy gossip.

"What could he have said? That he thought something was going on between us? And what would you have done if he had said that?" Annie asked curiously.

"Well, come to think of it, he may have mentioned something that night," Shirley hedged, her expression sheepish.

ooooo

_Monday, December 24, 2012_

Shirley entered the bedroom after getting Ben to sleep to find that Andre had already returned from tucking in the boys. Climbing into bed next to him, Shirley felt a warm contentment flow through her. Today had been an excellent day. For a bunch of Godless heathens, her friends were surprisingly wonderful people. She truly would miss them once she was in heaven alone. Picking up the bottle of hand cream on her nightstand, Shirley rubbed some into her dry skin, considering the problem. She would simply have to step up her efforts to convert them into proper Christians.

"Is Annie dating Abed?"

Andre's voice broke her planning, and she glanced over at him, startled. She expected to see that he was joking with her, but he looked completely serious. Unable to help herself, she laughed.

"Annie and Abed? Oh, Andre, most definitely not."

He frowned thoughtfully. "Are you sure? Because I could have sworn..."

"I'm sure," she cut him off. "If they were a couple, I would know it. No, those two are only friends and that's all they've ever been."

"Hmm."

He fell silent, his expression still contemplative. Shirley fell into her own thoughts on the subject. Annie and Abed? The idea was hilarious initially, but on further inspection, she had to admit that they would make a cute couple. He would certainly be more appropriate for Annie than Jeffrey. And, heaven knew that Abed could use something in his life outside of TV, movies, and Troy. Shirley had been happy when Annie had admitted to spending time with Abed earlier today, too. Yes, they could make an excellent couple. She was just starting to plan out how to make them see each other in more than just the friendly terms that they were used to when Andre spoke.

"Whatever you're thinking right now, Shirley, stop it."

She glared at her husband but he didn't back down.

"You leave those two alone and let them handle their own business. They're adults and they don't need your interference," he said sternly.

Sighing, Shirley leaned over and kissed him.

"Fine. I won't push. But that doesn't mean I can't hope."

As she turned off the lamp, she turned her mind back to converting her friends. There was probably a greater chance of that happening than Annie and Abed dating, anyway.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"And again you overestimate the charms of Christianity," Jeff snarked.

"Quiet, Jeffrey," Shirley scolded him. "I still can't believe that Andre didn't tell me what he had seen."

"But that's just it, Shirley. He didn't see anything. All he had to go on was the lingering awkwardness between us from having almost gotten caught," Annie pointed out. "So when you told him that there was nothing between us, he probably believed you since you spend much more time with us than he does."

"I suppose you're right," the older woman agreed, still slightly disgruntled.

"And, anyway, there wasn't anything between Abed and I," Annie stated. "Yes, we had kissed a couple of times, but I had no reason to believe that it would happen again. And Robin was still a factor. I don't even know what made Abed decide to kiss me that day."

Six sets of eyes turned to the man.

"She made me smile," he said simply before adding, "She also played with us and talked about how she missed running simulations with me. I couldn't resist that."

Britta laughed. "You flirt differently from other people, don't you, Abed?"

He answered honestly, "I don't flirt."

Annie smiled. "If I had known that was all it took to get you to kiss me, I would have done it sooner."

Troy aimed a suspicious look at the two of them. "You guys disappeared around midnight on New Year's Eve. What were you doing?"

Annie blushed and even Abed turned his gaze away from the others.

ooooo

_Monday, December 31, 2012_

Annie pushed her way through the crush of bodies in the bar to get back to her table. Abed, Troy, and Britta were in sight when someone crashed into her and she spilled her water down the front of her shirt. Groaning, she hurried over to them and sat down next to Britta.

"Can you believe it's so crowded in here?" she shouted over the band.

Picking up a napkin, she started trying to dry up the water spot on her chest. She frowned when her actions just seemed to spread the water out.

"It's New Year's Eve, Annie. What did you expect?" Britta yelled back.

Sighing, Annie accepted defeat and set the napkin down. At least she had worn dark blue instead of white today so her shirt wouldn't be see-through. Looking across the table, she was shocked to see that Abed's eyes were focused on her chest. When he glanced up, his gaze was heated. Annie blushed and averted her stare to the crowd on the dance floor.

She had noticed a distinct uptick in the amount of time that Abed spent focused on her over the last week. She didn't know what had brought on that kiss in Shirley's kitchen, and she couldn't decide whether to be happy or upset about it. She had enjoyed the kiss (_boy, had she ever_), but now she was more confused than ever. What did it mean? She was sure that he was still with Robin, but he had definitely chosen to kiss her. And now she never knew when she was going to look up to find him staring at her with that heat in his eyes, the heat that tempted her to jump him.

"So, Annie?"

Startled out of her thoughts, Annie faced Britta.

"I'm sorry. What?"

Britta grinned. "I said that I'm kissing Troy at midnight tonight, of course. Do you have anyone lined up?"

Annie shook her head. "You know I don't. I'm not even dating anyone."

"You don't have to date someone to kiss them, Annie," Troy pointed out, an amused expression on his face. "Hey! You could kiss Abed."

Annie was grateful for the darkness that covered up her blush. While she wanted to ring in the New Year by kissing him, she couldn't imagine doing so in front of Britta and Troy. Talk about awkward.

"I don't know if that would be the best idea."

"It's okay, Annie," Britta said. "You and Abed are friends. That would be a little strange."

Annie ducked her head down to stir her water with the straw in the glass. She peeked up at Abed's face. He was watching their exchange impassively. She listened as a fast song started up. Sliding out of the booth, she grabbed Britta's arm and pulled her out onto the dance floor.

They spent the next hour dancing. Normally Britta didn't dance, but she'd had enough to drink that she was indulging Annie, for which the brunette was glad. The blonde was a horrible dancer when she had to freestyle, but Annie wasn't much better. Luckily, Troy eventually joined them so that at least someone in their group knew what they were doing. The girls' utter awfulness kept the three of them laughing until the music shut down in anticipation of midnight.

When they reached the table, Annie found that Abed's eyes were on her again. Nibbling on her lip, Annie made a decision.

"I think I'm going to use the restroom," she stated.

"But the countdown!" Troy protested, dropping into his chair. "If you go now, you'll miss it."

Annie grinned. "You don't need me to greet the New Year, Troy. You'll be busy kissing Britta."

Meeting Abed's eyes significantly, she walked away as the countdown started at ten.

She waited in the empty hallway near the bathrooms, hoping that he had gotten the message. When the countdown reached two, he quietly walked up to her and she felt expectation wash over her. She just hoped he knew that she was going to kiss him at midnight. She didn't want to catch him completely off guard when she did.

"One! Zero! Happy New Year's, everyone!" the band's singer yelled.

When Auld Lang Syne began to play over the bar's speakers, Annie stood on her tiptoes and pulled Abed's head down to her. She sighed in happiness at the feel of his lips on hers. This was how it should be. Kissing Abed to greet the New Year. In their dark, quiet corner of the bar, they didn't have to worry about anyone they knew catching them and judging them. She opened her mouth to him when his tongue slid up against her lips.

As always, the instant their tongues met, the kiss began to get out of hand. Suddenly, it was just the two of them. They weren't in a bar; there was no one else. It was just them and their lips and hands and tongues. Abed pushed her back against the wall, his body pressing into hers. Crossing her arms behind his neck, Annie tried to pull herself up so that she could be closer to him. When he noticed, he lifted her off the ground. Wrapping her legs around his waist, Annie could feel him hardening against her heated core. Whimpering, she buried her fingers in his hair and ground against him as best she could given the position.

She felt Abed remove his hands from her ass. He delved one into her hair and brushed the other one along the side of her breast. Completely incoherent, she moaned at the electricity that jolted from the point of contact directly to the ache between her legs.

A shrill whistle and several catcalls brought her crashing back to reality.

"Fuck her, man!"

The crude words reminded her that they were in a very public place. Abed backed up and lowered her to the ground. Cheeks blazing, Annie fisted his shirt and buried her face in his chest. She couldn't believe that she had just made out with him so publicly. Turning her head slightly, she saw that they had drawn a crowd that was still making a complete ruckus. She hid her face again and felt Abed awkwardly pat her back. What had they been thinking? Troy and Britta so easily could have caught them.

It was only supposed to be a quick kiss, just a simple kiss to welcome the new year with the man that she...well, she wasn't sure how she felt about him, but it was definitely more than friendship and probably beyond physical attraction. When the noise died down, she lifted her head to meet Abed's eyes.

"Happy New Year's, Abed."

Then she scurried into the nearby restroom to regain her poise.

Apparently there was no such thing as a simple kiss where Abed was concerned.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"That was you two?" Britta shouted, her head whipping between the two of them. "Oh my God!"

"Britta!" Shirley scolded.

"Oh, come on, Shirley. When is that phrase ever going to be more appropriate than right now?" the blonde asked, still goggling at Annie in amazement.

"Oh, man," Troy whined. "I wanted to go see what everyone was yelling about but Britta wouldn't let me." He scowled at her. "I love you, but sometimes you're the worst."

"If I had known that it was Abed and Annie, I would have let you go. I would have gone with you!"

"You kept saying that you weren't going to kiss him again because of Robin, but you just kept doing it anyway," Jeff muttered thoughtfully as if he was talking to himself.

Resting her chin on her hand, Annie looked over at him. He seemed deep in thought and she had the feeling that he was finally starting to work through her story from a more objective viewpoint. She really hoped that he would be able to see her side of things by the time that she was done. She didn't want to lose his friendship.

"Why?" he asked, coming out of his reverie. "Why did you keep kissing him?"

Sighing, Annie shifted her gaze to the man in question.

"Because I was addicted."


	9. Choosing a Scenario

Spoilers: Anything up to and including the season three finale, 'Introduction to Finality'. In fact, several of the scenes in that episode's final montage will find their way into this story as I provide my own events that lead up to them.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. If I had any claim on Community, Abed would be all mine.

A/N: This will be a long A/N, so sorry about that. In regards to the discourse in the reviews from last chapter, I would like to ask that people maintain respect for each other. I would also like to say that I have no problem accepting reviews that offer _constructive_ criticism. However, if you merely wish to tell me how horrible my story is, then I ask that you refrain from leaving a review. That is not only common courtesy, but common sense. I'm sure there are other things you could be doing than reading and reviewing a story that you do not enjoy. On a more personal note regarding the Asperger's commentary, I would like to point out that even individuals with the same disorder are very different. That is one of the very first things my psychiatrist pointed out after diagnosing me a few years ago. I personally wouldn't feel shame in Abed's situation in chapter four (nor do I think he would as he has never been shown to be squeamish about sex on the show), although I do feel shame in other situations just as I know that Abed would. I can also say that Annie's reaction to him, seeing him as being unashamed, is a valid reaction that I have received from my own friends and loved ones when I spoke in a way that was seen as inappropriate although I didn't see it that way because I was simply voicing my thoughts aloud. I certainly didn't appreciate the implication that I am 'severely mentally-retarded' simply because I would have reacted just as Abed did. So, again, respect for the individual and please no more personal attacks. And that is all I will say on the matter.

Onto my normal commentary…

So, my computer finally died. On the plus side, I have a brand new computer now. I've had this chapter planned since before I started writing this story, so imagine my surprise when I developed a serious case of writer's block about halfway through. Seriously, writing the third flashback was like pulling teeth (to be completely cliche). The words simply refused to come out. I restarted and rewrote that segment at least ten times, and I'm still not thrilled with it. Oh well. C'est la vie. I'm calling it done now so that I can move on. However, the difficulty I had writing this chapter means that I'm going to take a couple of days to do something brainless (hello Sims 3) while I get my thoughts in order for chapter 10. I would also like to address a concern brought up by a handful of reviewers about the amount of detail that Annie goes into about the kisses. I refer you guys back to the A/N at the end of chapter one. As I explained then, you as the readers receive all of the details since you're seeing things from her POV as it happens in each flashback, but the study group pretty much just gets told what happened without the details because, of course, Annie wouldn't share the specifics with them. I am sorry if I haven't been clear enough about that, and I'll try to rectify it in the future. As always, I'd like to thank my reviewers: XcrazyrandomhappenstanceX, Jade24, Lucy36, alyssa305, sweet-deans, Yuleira, MarchesaLace, gedankenzug, Mr. High-and-Almighty, Peachie, tenten32321, elvaralind, Anna, tnelson123, chairlampdesk, silentlyloud, MC-Aitlyn, The Alternative Source, Catlimere, and Iris Violetta (can't believe I forgot to include you in my initial update). Thank you so much for your kind words. I love hearing what you have to say! Please read and review! Thanks!

Chapter Nine: Choosing a Scenario

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"You were addicted to him?" Britta questioned. "Wait. You keep telling us when you kissed him, but you're not exactly giving us the details each time. What was so great that you became addicted to him? I mean, he's Abed."

Annie blushed. "Of course I'm not going to share the details of the kisses. That's not any of your business. And, anyway, all that's important to the story is that we did kiss. I can't really explain my addiction properly without giving you off-limits details, so you'll just have to settle for knowing that Abed is a very good kisser."

"We need a little more information than that, Annie. No offense, Abed," Britta said, glancing at the man in question. "But you're not exactly the most emotionally open person."

"Just so you can understand where I was coming from," Annie began, her cheeks blazing, "I will tell you this. You know how he's very focused when he's shooting a movie? He kisses with that same focus and intensity. But that's really all that I feel comfortable sharing with you."

"You can't be addicted to a person," Jeff, who had been trying to tune them out the past few minutes, pointed out.

"Yes, you can."

Shirley and Britta spoke at the same time and then exchanged a look. Annie sighed.

"It really shouldn't be surprising that I was a little addicted to Abed. I have an addictive personality. Think about it: studying, grades, adderall. I just had to add Abed to that list."

"Oh, sweetie," Shirley said soothingly. "But Abed is a good man."

"Abed was a taken man. As much as I tried to ignore it, Robin was still technically his...girlfriend, I guess?"

She looked over at Abed to get his take on the title. He frowned faintly.

"We were in a relationship but we only saw each other a few times a year and never face to face. Long-distance girlfriend is probably the proper term, but girlfriend would suffice."

Annie nodded and stated, "See. He had a girlfriend and after two kisses so close together, it had hit me that I was the other woman. Something that I had never wanted to be. So, as we moved deeper into shooting his movie, I tried to fight my addiction. I backed off as much as I could while still fulfilling my promise to him." She blushed. "I didn't last long."

ooooo

_Sunday, January 6, 2013_

Feeling terribly self-conscious, Annie desperately wished that she had thought to bring her coat into her bedroom with her instead of leaving it in the coat closet. Honestly, she could kill Abed for this costume choice and she was seriously considering dropping out of his movie in protest.

She cracked the door open and peeked outside. Seeing that the coast was clear, she rushed out. She was nearly to the closet when Troy's voice stopped her.

"Annie? What are you _wearing?_"

Jumping, Annie stared down at her black bunny suit and reached a hand up to the white ears pinned into her hair. Scanning the room, she saw that he was in his recliner. She blushed at the stunned expression on his face.

"Don't tell Britta."

"Sure," Troy agreed easily, his eyes still wide. "But, really, what are you wearing?"

Groaning, Annie pulled her coat out of the closet and slipped it over her shoulders. She zipped it up and then tugged at the bottom, wishing it was longer.

"It's my costume for a scene that I'm filming for Abed's movie," she admitted.

While they had told Troy and Britta that she was starring in his big film project, Abed had asked that she keep the details of the movie to herself. He wanted everyone to enjoy it spoiler-free the first time they watched it. Since it was his pet project, she was perfectly happy to keep the plot quiet.

"I'll be back later, Troy," she said with a wave to him as she left the apartment.

Her car keys clasped in her hand, Annie hurried down the hall, ignoring the curious looks that she received from the few people present. She knew that no one would ask about the bunny ears perched on her head. They had lived here long enough that their neighbors were completely used to the odd costumes that they sometimes wore. In fact, they didn't even blink anymore when Abed wandered around in his Inspector Spacetime bathrobe.

When she pushed the building door open to the outside, the cold air immediately assaulted her and she let out a yip. Hugging her coat as tightly around her as she could, she ran to the car as quickly as her heels let her. She was thankful that the parking lot had been cleared since the last snowstorm. At least she wouldn't break an ankle. Shivering violently, she scowled. She was so going to have a word with Abed about his costume choice.

Thirty minutes later, Annie found herself standing in the auditorium at Greendale, staring down at her script in disbelief. He wanted her to do _what?_

"Abed," she addressed him in a tight voice. "I am not willing to film this. I didn't agree to be a stripper when I took this role."

"You're not a stripper, Annie. There is no nudity involved. You are a dancer," he explained quickly.

"I have to dance around a pole! That's what strippers do."

"No, strippers take their clothing off. It's right there in their title," he argued. "You will keep your costume on."

Burying her face in one hand, she waved the script at him with the other.

"Explain to me why I have to do this again," she demanded, her voice slightly muffled. "I thought this was supposed to be a simple story of two best friends who fall in love."

"It is, but I had to add suspense and fear to the story to meet the multiple emotions requirement. Sarah has been in love with Naveed since they were children, but he has never seen her as a possible romantic interest. She is working her way through college by performing as a dancer at a club. One of her patrons has become obsessed with her. Worried for her safety, Naveed now visits the club every time she works. Seeing her dance for the first time finally opens his eyes to the fact that she has grown into a desirable woman. This is the only scene that you are required to dance in, and it is pivotal to the romantic portion of the plot."

Annie sorted through the information that he had just given her. Her first thought was that she really should have read the script before she just blindly agreed to star in the movie. Her second thought was that the story actually sounded pretty interesting. If she wasn't the one up there dancing around a pole, she would want to watch the movie.

"But do I really have to do this in front of everyone?" she asked, raising her head. She gestured around the room at the students who had agreed to serve as extras in the scene. "Can't you just film them separately from me and, I don't know, splice in the audience scenes?"

He shook his head. "I can't. Both units will be filming at the same time in order to capture your dance and genuine responses from the audience in addition to my character's reactions."

Annie scowled. "Can you at least clear them out of here and give me today to practice? I can't just perform a scene like this without rehearsal, especially if it's important to the story. It'll take me at least ten or so tries to even feel comfortable performing it in front of you. And you're my friend!"

Abed tilted his head to the side, face completely blank. Annie knew that he was considering her request. Crossing her fingers, she prayed that he would at least give her this since he seemed set on leaving the scene in the movie.

"I see the benefits to your suggestion," he agreed. "The movie would suffer if you were stiff in the scene."

While he hopped up on the stage to dismiss the others, Annie wrapped her arms around her waist, hugging her coat tightly to her. Why, oh why, was he insisting on this scene? Okay, so she knew why. It was obviously the scene where Naveed finally, truly sees Sarah for the first time; the scene where he starts to fall in love with her. Since the movie documented their relationship in addition to Sarah's issues with her stalker, the dancing scene actually was fairly important. She just didn't know why Naveed couldn't just see her in a short skirt or something and have that trigger his epiphany.

Releasing her grip on her waist, Annie wandered over to the stage as the other students started to leave. Stopping in front of it, she looked up at the intimidating silver pole that a couple of the drama department's more skilled props people had set up for him. She didn't know how she was going to dance around that thing. She had never been to a strip club in her life. The closest she had ever come to seeing someone pole dance were the short scenes set in strip clubs in some of the movies she had watched. Those didn't really count, though, because she had spent most of her time avoiding looking at the TV out of sheer embarrassment.

"Are you ready to rehearse?" Abed asked, looking down at her from his position on the stage.

Glancing around, Annie saw that the other students had cleared out. She sighed.

"Okay. Give me a minute."

Unbuttoning her coat, Annie slid it down her shoulders. She instantly felt naked. The bunny suit was entirely too revealing. She didn't know what had made Abed decide on this particular costume, but she wished that he had settled on something with a bit more coverage. Resigned to her fate, she laid her coat over the back of one of the theater seats in the front row and then took the stairs onto the stage.

The pole was no less threatening once she was standing next to it. Staring at the gleaming metal, she didn't know how to even begin her dance. Running her hand down the pole, she found that it was quite smooth. She would probably be able to slide along it easily and wouldn't risk picking up a metal splinter. Gripping the pole securely, she circled it and found that she moved quickly and effortlessly around it. She was happy to find that it supported her weight without wobbling too.

"The pole works," she stated. "I don't know what you want me to do, though."

"Dance in a way that would entice men," Abed instructed. "You don't have to strictly use the pole; it's merely a prop to make things easier for you."

Annie clasped her hands in front of her. "I don't know how to dance like that. You saw me on New Year's Eve - dancing isn't something that I'm good at."

Sexy Santa notwithstanding, of course. But she had been slightly brainwashed into the glee club mindset at that point.

"That's why you wanted to rehearse," Abed reminded her matter-of-factly.

"You're right."

Annie unclasped her hands and glanced around the room. When she was sure that it was just the two of them, she stepped in front of the pole, which felt like the best position to begin from.

"Do you have any music, Abed?" she questioned.

"I have the song that the scene is set to," he told her.

He climbed off the stage. She watched him stride up the aisle to the control booth that was set in the back corner of the room. A short time later, Britney Spears' 'I'm a Slave 4 U' began. Annie had to admit that the beat was definitely conducive to dancing, and the lyrics were actually highly appropriate for a scene where a man realizes that the dancer is a grown woman. Letting the music wash over her, Annie tried to dance in a way that was enticing. Clearly she didn't do well enough, though, because when the song ended, Abed simply started it over.

For a full hour, Annie tried to figure out how to dance sexy. She wanted to channel the spirit that had been in her Santa dance, but she wasn't sure that it would be any good even if she succeeded. Her Santa dance had been awfully immature in the spirit of the baby talking madness that she had descended into. By the time the song had ended for the fifteenth time, Annie was exhausted, upset, and on the verge of tears that she had failed so miserably. She simply wasn't able to channel sexy. She was so stiff and preoccupied with the knowledge that she had to perform in front of a crowd that she couldn't get into the dance. When Abed began the song again, she stepped forward and sat down on the edge of the stage, legs dangling over the side. She refused to continue to humiliate herself tonight.

Staring blankly at the doors, Annie noticed when the music turned off. Sliding her eyes over, she saw Abed making his way up the aisle to her. Once he was close enough that he disappeared from her peripheral vision, she turned her gaze forward again. When he came to a stop next to her on the stage, Annie tilted her head back to look up at him.

"I can't do this, Abed. I think you need a new lead," she admitted reluctantly, looking back down.

She still didn't like the thought of him kissing someone else for his love scene, but she would rather deal with that than ruin his movie and cost him his grade. She was so busy sulking that she didn't even notice he had sat down until his voice sounded right beside her ear.

"I don't. You're my best option."

Annie turned her head to find that their faces were level with each other.

"I can't do sexy, Abed. I think I could channel anything else easier than that. I'm trying, but I keep thinking about the crowd that'll watch me and the fact that this movie is your final exam. I don't want to be the reason why you fail," she explained earnestly.

He was quiet for several moments after she stopped talking. She saw the thoughtfulness in his eyes. She really hoped that he was coming up with a viable replacement for her.

"We don't have to shoot the film chronologically," he finally said. "It's a common process in Hollywood to shoot movies out of order based on travel, schedules, and budgetary concerns. We can come back and shoot this scene later. That will give you time to research scenes similar to this one."

She could feel her resistance melting. The block that had formed around the dancing might dissipate if she simply had more time to prepare for the scene. She could practice her dancing at home in private and then she might be able to complete it when she was in front of the crowd.

She offered him a tiny smile. "I'll stay in the movie, but you might find a backup just in case I can't do it."

"That will be unnecessary," Abed asserted, his eyes strangely warm on hers.

Annie couldn't take her eyes off of him. His absolute, unwavering faith in her left her breathless. Sure, many people had trusted her to help them study, but this was different. Abed was trusting her with his grade, yes, but her book knowledge and highlighters weren't going to help in this situation. The fact that he knew that and was still willing to place his belief in her was amazing.

The expression in Abed's eyes was so gentle and warm that Annie felt herself being drawn in again. When he moved his head toward hers, she leaned in and met him in the middle. The touch of their lips was soft, barely even a butterfly kiss, but it was heady. An alarming tingle began in the vicinity of her heart as her eyes drifted closed. Kissing Abed felt so right. How could Robin not want to do this every time she came to Greendale?

The thought of his long-distance girlfriend had Annie opening her eyes and looking away from him.

"Did I do something wrong?" Abed asked, his usual monotone tinted with confusion. "Was that an inappropriate interval for a kiss?"

"No," Annie said with a small, bitter laugh. "It was perfect, Abed. The timing and the kiss were both perfect."

"Then why did you stop? No one interrupted us this time."

Conflicted about what to do, Annie buried her face in her hands. She wanted so badly to explain but she wasn't sure that she could, not when she felt so close to hysteria.

"Annie?"

The sound of her name, spoken in a bewildered voice that was so far from his usual blank tone, broke her silence.

Lifting her head but avoiding looking at him, she asked, "What are we doing, Abed? We keep kissing when we shouldn't." She took a deep breath. "We're friends; we've been friends for years now. But lately, I've been feeling decidedly not friendly toward you. I want to kiss you. Every time I look at you, I want to kiss you. That's not friend behavior. If it was, I would want to kiss Troy and Britta every time I make eye contact with them, but I don't. I can't keep doing this. You already have a girlfriend and I can't be the other woman."

Annie knew that they weren't dating, but when she said it, she felt distinctly as if she had broken up with him. When he stood up and walked off stage without a word, Annie knew that nothing had changed; he still preferred Robin to her.

As the sound of the double doors closing echoed through the auditorium, Annie let the tears fall.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Annie, that's horrible," Shirley gasped.

"Are you sure he wanted Robin?" Troy asked urgently, leaning forward in his seat. "You should always get Abed to say what he wants because it's really easy to guess wrong."

Annie sighed, feeling the old desire to go back and change things. "I do know that, but I was too wrapped up in my own pain and self-pity to just ask him outright. I didn't want him to confirm what I already knew."

"So you didn't talk to Abed about what happened then?" Britta questioned in her psych major voice before turning to her neighbor. "Wait. That was when you started spending all that time in the mini-Dreamatorium, wasn't it?"

He nodded. "I had a lot of information to process."

Startled, Annie stared at him. This was news to her. "I didn't know that Abed had anything to process. He had made his choice. That only became even more obvious two weeks later."

ooooo

_Saturday, January 19, 2013_

Annie swung her hips to the beat of the music coming out of her I-Pod. Glancing at the door to make sure that it was shut, she shimmied down to the ground before following the same movement back up, practicing a new move that she had discovered.

She had spent her free time over the last couple of weeks in her room trying to figure out the best way to look sexy while dancing. She actually felt like she was making some progress, so she was pretty proud of that. Plus, it was an excellent way to avoid Abed. Ever since he had chosen Robin, she'd only seen him at school and occasionally at home when she dared to venture out of her room. He didn't seem to be avoiding her as he had after their first real kiss, but she wasn't ready to be around him yet. Every time she saw him, she felt a terrible mix of pain and desire. She still wanted him badly, and she was pretty sure that it was going to take a lot of time before she could go near him without wanting to kiss him.

As a former addict, Annie knew that the best thing she could do to ease the cravings was avoid him as completely as possible. Until the urge to kiss him disappeared or at least eased to a manageable level, she knew that the temptation to relapse was too strong to spend time with him. She had even avoided filming for the last two weeks, and, luckily, he hadn't pushed her. It was as if he knew that she needed her space right now, which made her happy. At least he was still practicing empathy.

After dancing for the last couple of hours, Annie was extremely thirsty. Turning off the music, she left the room.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?"

As Annie crossed through the living room, she heard Britta's voice. She listened closely as she entered the kitchen area.

Annie was going out tonight with Britta, Troy, and Jeff. She had accepted that Abed would probably come along too. She knew that Britta was going to try and push him into joining them. Pierce had been invited along, but surprisingly turned them down, saying that he had a date. Shirley and Andre had also opted out, having already promised to take Elijah and Jordan to see the newest kiddie movie.

"I already have plans for tonight."

Abed's voice was his usual monotone, but Annie's spirits immediately perked up. She knew that this was another aspect of her addiction. Eventually she would be able to hear his voice without her every nerve going on alert. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of plans he already had, though.

As Annie filled her glass with water, she heard Britta say, "Okay, but you don't know what you're going to be missing."

Annie snorted as she turned around to lean against the counter. Of course Abed knew what he would be missing. They were just headed out to one of Jeff's favorite bars. When they did that, the nights usually went the same way. They would all drink, except for Abed, who would stick to water and soda. Annie would stop after a couple since she had zero desire to experience a hangover. Troy would stop next. Jeff and Britta, the two most experienced drinkers in their group, would continue until they all decided to leave. There was always a lot of laughing, talking, some dancing, and, for Britta and Jeff, arguing. Abed had been out with them enough times before to know exactly what would happen.

Sipping her water, Annie watched as Abed entered the kitchen. He stopped short when he saw her.

"Are you going out with them?" he asked blankly.

She nodded.

"Good," he said, heading for the bowl of apples on the counter. "I need the apartment to myself."

A gnawing suspicion started in her stomach. She could only think of one reason why he would need the apartment to himself. She didn't want to ask; she really didn't want to know. Even so, she knew that she would ask. She couldn't help herself.

"Is Robin in town tonight?" she asked, her voice soft.

She could feel the self-loathing rise in her. Why did she have to torture herself?

"Yes," he replied simply. "I'm inviting her inside tonight because I have to fix things."

The pain that stabbed Annie in the vicinity of her heart was so sharp that it took her breath away. Hands shaking slightly, she set her glass down. She worked hard to keep her expression neutral. Apparently she was successful because Abed didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.

"I see."

It was all she could say before she left the room. She couldn't wish him luck. Granted, she was a supportive person and she thought that she was usually a pretty good friend, but she simply couldn't tell him good luck on his night with Robin. Not when she was certain that Abed was inviting Robin inside to explore the physical side of their relationship.

After all, that was the only part that needed to be fixed.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

Annie glanced around at the group. She was aware that this might be the last time that they were sympathetic to her position throughout the story, and she wanted to soak it in before she told them about the really, really stupid mistake that she had made.

"Don't you think you were jumping to conclusions?"

Annie was startled when Jeff was the one to ask the question.

"I was," she admitted. "But I was also full of self-pity, self-loathing, and pain. I wasn't seeing things clearly or else I would have realized that he hadn't said that he was going to kiss her or sleep with her. I was too focused on myself to see that, though."

And it wasn't as if Abed had ever told her what happened that night. She still didn't know exactly what occurred between him and Robin, and she wasn't sure that she ever wanted to. She was very much aware that he could well have slept with Robin. Even now, she was still too terrified to ask.

"What happened?" Shirley asked, staring at her intently, clearly sensing some juicy details on the horizon.

Annie cast an apologetic glance at Jeff, who looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"I had more to drink than I should have, for starters."

ooooo

_Sunday, January 20, 2013_

Annie stared down at her empty glass. The vodka was gone. Where had the vodka gone?

It was barely after midnight, so she decided that she needed more. Since Britta and Troy were dancing and Jeff had gone to the bathroom, Annie knew that if she wanted more vodka, it was up to her to get it. When she stood up, the room spun. Right. That was where the vodka had gone. She had drank it all in the hopes that it would help her forget that Abed was in their apartment with Robin, probably kissing her. Or worse. _Ugh_. She needed more vodka because she was thinking about it again.

Although she was definitely feeling the effects of the alcohol, Annie was pretty sure that she was still mostly in control of her actions. Her judgment hadn't deserted her. She still knew that driving home would be a terrible idea and that drinking more probably wasn't the smartest thing she could do. She _had _been more giggly tonight, but she was pretty sure that was the only real difference that the alcohol had caused.

On her way to the bar, she ran into something very solid. She would have fallen over if it weren't for the warm hands that wrapped around her upper arms. Looking up, she smiled at the fact that Jeff was the one supporting her.

"Hi, Jeff!"

He gave her an indulgent smile.

"Hi, Annie. How much have you had to drink tonight?"

Furrowing her brow, she tried to remember exactly how many vodka lemonades she'd had.

"Six?" she asked hesitantly.

She wasn't completely sure how much she had drank, but she was pretty sure that six was in the right neighborhood.

He frowned. "That's a lot, Annie."

She scowled up at him. She didn't like his tone.

"Well, how many have you had?" she asked defensively.

"Not sure," he answered casually. "But that doesn't matter. I'm experienced enough to handle it. You're not."

Annie had to admit, at least to herself, that he was right. She knew that Jeff had drank several more than her, but he probably was less drunk than her in spite of that. She didn't want to lose her cognitive abilities completely. Plus, with her addictive personality, who knew how quickly she would turn into an alcoholic? Sighing, she resigned herself to water for the rest of the night.

Thirty minutes later, she was back in their booth, sipping her water and listening to Britta rant about blood diamonds. The topic was heavier than she wanted to deal with in her pleasantly buzzed state, so Annie searched for something else to focus on.

She settled on Jeff.

He was sitting next to her in the booth, their arms pressed together in the cramped space. He felt warm and smelled so very nice. Comforted by the familiarity of him, Annie leaned further into his side. She knew that she had caught him off guard when he glanced down at her, a startled expression on his face. She smiled up at him.

An idea was forming in Annie's slightly foggy brain as she sat there, soaking in Jeff's warmth and scent. He liked her, and, most importantly, he wanted her. Abed didn't. Why should she keep pushing him away simply because she hoped that something would happen with Abed when it was now obvious that nothing would? She was still attracted to Jeff and their friendship was better than ever. Even if she didn't love him right now, there was still the possibility that could grow, right? She just needed to give him a chance. And she _had_always enjoyed kissing him. With that thought in mind, she reached over and started drawing patterns on the back of his hand with her index finger. She felt him stiffen next to her.

When Troy and Britta got up to dance a few minutes later, Jeff immediately turned to Annie.

"What are you doing?" he asked curiously.

She smiled at him. "Are you still interested in me, Jeff?"

She was fairly sure that she knew the answer because he hadn't been shy about flirting with her over the last several weeks, but Abed's recent rejection still left her feeling a little unsure that she was wrong about Jeff too.

"I am," he agreed readily, "Why?"

Annie was thrilled to hear that. She was certain that she could be happy with Jeff. He wanted her, after all. And for years, she had wanted him more than anyone or anything else. Yes, to her intoxicated mind, this was a great idea. She could finally have the happiness that she had longed for ever since the first time she kissed Jeff. She didn't need Abed to be happy.

The sober part of her mind tried to point out that she didn't need a man to be happy, period. She shushed that part, though, and focused on the man in front of her. His eyes were so pretty and his lips were so nice. She kind of wanted to kiss him. Straightening, she cupped his cheek and pulled his lips down to hers.

It wasn't exactly electric like kissing Abed was, but a pleasant tingle began in Annie's stomach all the same. Letting her eyes drift shut, Annie slid her lips against Jeff's, the movement timeless and comfortable. It was just like their previous kisses. When he slid his hand to the back of her neck, Annie arched into the touch briefly before pulling away.

She stared up at him, slightly dazed by the combination of alcohol and Jeff. His eyes had darkened and his lips were parted slightly as he drew in quick breaths. She liked that she could have that effect on him. He wanted her, and she liked him. She could be happy with him.

Yes, this was a good plan.

As the next hour passed, Annie and Jeff would steal kisses whenever Britta and Troy weren't around. Jeff ordered a couple more shots, and Annie took advantage of that to have another vodka lemonade. She didn't need the alcohol, but it relaxed her. It killed her entirely too rigid inhibitions and made her feel brave, brave enough to go for something that she normally wouldn't. The intensity of their kisses had grown each time, and Annie knew that at the end of the night she would have a choice to make.

"Annie? Ready to go?" Britta asked shortly before two.

She was standing at the side of the table by herself. Troy was missing, but Annie figured that meant that he was either in the bathroom or maybe getting a cab.

Annie frowned at Britta. "Already?"

The end of the night had come a lot quicker than she expected.

Yawning, Britta nodded. "Yes. The bar shuts down in an hour anyway, so we may as well leave now while we can still catch a cab home."

Rather than answer her roommate, Annie slanted her gaze at Jeff. He was watching her, an obvious invitation in his eyes.

Lowering her sight to the table, Annie frowned. She could accept what he was offering. It would be so easy to just say yes and go home with him tonight. After all, he wanted her and she had always been attracted to him. Still, she couldn't quite put Abed out of her mind. But why should she deny herself and Jeff? Abed didn't want her; he had probably slept with his girlfriend tonight. That was the whole reason he wasn't here with them.

But Jeff was here and he wanted her and no one else.

"I want to stay," she finally declared, sneaking another look at him.

His eyes smoldered but otherwise his expression didn't give anything away when he spoke to Britta.

"I'll make sure she gets home okay."

"Okay," the blonde agreed easily. "If you need anything, Annie, just call."

"I will," she reassured her friend.

Even in her buzzed state, she was happy to know that Britta was there for her.

As soon as her roommate had disappeared, waving one final time at Annie, Jeff turned to her.

"Are you sure about this, Annie?" he asked, a rare sincerity in his voice even as his words slurred together slightly. "How drunk are you right now?"

Annie considered the question. She wanted to be honest with him because if her fresh start with Jeff was going to work, he couldn't be worried that he had taken advantage of her while she was vulnerable. After evaluating her state, which included dizziness when she stood and a distinct haze to her thoughts, Annie provided him with a truthful answer.

"Drunk enough to be honest about wanting this, but not drunk enough that you should feel guilty about indulging me."

That response was clearly good enough for him because he gave her a downright sinful smirk.

"Let's get out of here."

Twenty minutes and one tense cab ride later, Annie and Jeff were making out on his couch like a couple of teenagers. At least, Annie was pretty sure they were. She hadn't exactly made out with many people during high school, but she was pretty sure that was the appropriate phrase to describe their frenzied activity.

She was pressed back into the couch, Jeff's body mostly covering hers as his hands skimmed her curves. His lips were on hers, their tongues twined together. While his technique was impeccable and the butterflies in her stomach were definitely stirring, Annie couldn't lose herself in him the way that she wanted. She felt too suffocated. She needed more room. Yes, that was definitely the problem.

Shoving at his shoulders, Annie pulled her mouth from his. He stared down at her in confusion and disappointment. Feeling awful that she had caused that look, Annie smiled reassuringly up at him.

"The couch is too crowded," she stated simply.

Excitement and lust crossed his blue eyes with her words, but she found herself missing the soft edge that Abed's dark eyes always placed on those emotions when they kissed. Shaking her head at the thought as Jeff stood up, Annie frowned. Why was she thinking about him? Tonight wasn't about him. Ruthlessly banishing thoughts of the other man, Annie reached out and took Jeff's hand. He instantly pulled her up and into his bedroom.

Once in the dark room, Jeff yanked her around to face him and took her lips with renewed vigor. When he thrust his tongue into her mouth, Annie tried to meet him with equal enthusiasm. Determined to enjoy herself as much as she knew she should, Annie ran her hands down his chest and abs, stopping only to undo each button on his shirt. After she had popped each one, she slid her hands under either side and pushed it off his shoulders. She was tracing her fingers over his arms when he took hold of the hem of her shirt and tugged it up and over her head, making her lose contact with his muscles. Then he just skimmed his gaze over her form.

Despite the dark, Annie felt distinctly uncomfortable standing there in her bra and skirt while he stared at her. She had never been at ease with her body, not even after all of the hard work that she had done to lose weight post-rehab. She wanted Jeff to stop looking at her. With that thought in mind, she set to work on his designer jeans.

After Jeff was out of his pants, his erection prominent in his boxer-briefs, he pushed Annie down onto the bed. Since she didn't like the feeling of lying at the foot of the bed, she scooted up to get more comfortable. Jeff followed her, lying on his side next to her, his eyes lingering on her body.

"I've waited a long time for this, Annie," he muttered quietly, leaning over to trail kisses down her neck.

Unable to say the same thing since she had long ago given up on Jeff and moved on, Annie squirmed guiltily. Luckily he took that as a sign of arousal because he nibbled on the spot that he was kissing when she moved before continuing on. Annie closed her eyes in the hopes that she could fall into what was happening, but instead she saw Abed. The thought that he could be doing this very same thing with Robin at this very moment entered her mind.

Annie gasped as tears filled her eyes. She couldn't do this with Jeff. Not when she wanted Abed. Not when she cared about him so much that the thought of him with Robin was enough to make her cry. It wouldn't be fair to anyone, not Abed, not her, and _especially_not Jeff.

As Jeff pressed a kiss to the upper curve of her breast...

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"And that's all that I remember about that night," Annie admitted, her tone as sincere as she could make it.

Because she was lying. She remembered everything that happened that night, but she didn't want to share the rest with her friends. After the way that she had used Jeff, Annie wanted to leave some of his pride intact. It was the least she owed him.

"It's not like you told us much anyway," Pierce pouted. "That part of the story actually had a chance for nudity and all you tell us is that you kissed him and went into his bedroom? That's crap."

"I'm sorry, Pierce," Annie responded immediately before frowning. "Wait a minute. No, I'm not. I'm not going to give you guys details about what happened. Those are _none of your business_. All you need to know is that it happened."

"I can't believe you did that, Annie," Troy declared, scowling at her. "How could you do that to Abed?"

"Abed?" Annie asked. "I didn't do anything to him. If you'll remember, he was with his real girlfriend that night. I'm not proud of my actions, but I was single. And I was upset. And a little drunk. And still attracted to Jeff. And that's a highly volatile combination of emotions and circumstances."

"Still," Troy said petulantly, clearly unwilling to let it go.

Ignoring him, Annie turned to her right to address Jeff.

"I'm sorry for that night. It was wrong of me to do what I did simply because I was feeling insecure. I am a really horrible person," she said honestly. "But I really do value your friendship and I don't want to lose that."

He was silent, staring down at his phone although his fingers were still. The crease in his brow and distant expression in his eyes suggested that he was thinking. Terrified, Annie twisted her hands together in her lap and simply waited for him to denounce their friendship. After several long moments, he met her gaze.

"I want to hear the rest of the story," he said, his expression closed off. "And then we'll talk."

Gulping, aware that was the best she could hope for, Annie nodded. "Okay."

"So while all of that was going on," Britta spoke, breaking the tense silence that had fallen, "what were you up to, Abed? You had Robin over, right? And she actually came up to the apartment?"

Along with everyone else, Annie glanced at the object of her affection. It made her uneasy to see the faint pain in his gaze that he was trying to hide. He had been abnormally silent while she talked about that night, appearing not to even listen, but the look in his eyes told her that he had heard every word.

"She did," he agreed, meeting Annie's eyes.

Annie gritted her teeth as she prepared to listen to the difficult story to come - a story that she had never been brave enough to ask him for.

ooooo

_Saturday, January 19, 2013_

When there was a knock on the door, Abed stood up and headed over to it. He recognized the blonde woman on the other side through the peephole, so he opened it.

"Robin," he greeted the Secret Service agent blankly.

"Abed," she responded, equally emotionless.

Stepping aside, he let her into the apartment. He noticed that she scanned the room carefully as she entered, a trait that was no doubt ingrained into her because of her job. It was part of the reason why she was a good match for him; she saw the details just as he did. Unlike Annie. _She _wouldn't notice the large grease spot on the left arm of his recliner from where he had dropped a forkful of buttered noodles earlier that night, but Robin would.

No, Annie didn't see the factual flaws the way that he and Robin both did. She didn't possess their objectivity. Instead, she let her emotions color her judgment on everything. It was highly in character for her, and thinking about that quirk of her personality gave him the odd urge to smile.

"Why have you called me up here?" Robin asked, drawing Abed's attention immediately. "This is outside of normal protocol."

Abed was aware of that. He hadn't wanted to break routine, but every scenario that he had run had insisted that he had to if he wanted to achieve the desired outcome.

"I am aware of that," he confirmed. "However, it was unavoidable."

"Why?" she questioned. "What circumstance would necessitate my physical presence?"

Abed hesitated momentarily to gather his thoughts and choose an appropriate approach to the conversation that he had decided was vital to the current story arc. He knew that Robin would understand whatever manner he chose to communicate his feelings, but he wasn't as relaxed in discussing private matters with her as he would be with others. Specifically, Annie, who obviously didn't always understand him but who always took the time to listen when others would get frustrated with his inability to communicate clearly. The corners of his lips turned down ever-so-slightly, Abed chose the best place to start.

"I plan to be a director," he stated frankly.

Robin nodded. "You are a film student."

"Yes. I plan to be a director someday. However, I have come to realize that the best directors are willing to grow and change. They learn new techniques to include in their movies and introduce innovations into the field."

"The audience would get bored if every movie was the same," Robin summarized concisely.

"Precisely," Abed agreed. "When a director is no longer willing to take risks, the value of his work dies. It becomes formulaic and is no longer valuable to the overall art form." Abed's voice sped up as he warmed to his topic. "But there's another aspect that I never considered in what makes a movie truly great. Some of the best movies in some of the best directors' repertoires are the ones that they fought the hardest for - the ones they invested the most in personally. Lucas contributed to the budget for Star Wars when the studio threatened to shut it down after multiple production problems increased the costs by over three million dollars. Production on Jaws took far longer than initially expected, the leads fought, and the mechanical shark malfunctioned repeatedly, but Spielberg struggled through. Even John Hughes had to fight the studio to direct The Breakfast Club since he was inexperienced, and several of the roles had to be recast before production even began."

He came to a halt. He needed to ensure that she was listening because what he had just said was highly crucial to the objective of this conversation. Studying her closely, he saw that her expression was blank but her eyes were alert. Satisfied, he continued.

"But in spite of those problems, or maybe even because of them, all three movies marked the film sphere permanently and launched their directors' careers like nothing else had previously. Star Wars made science fiction a viable cinema option. Jaws is widely considered a masterpiece of suspense, and The Breakfast Club is still one of the best high school movies ever made."

Abed paused here. He wasn't sure how to continue on. It had taken hours of running scenarios in the mini-Dreamatorium before he had been able to decide on his course of action. He still wasn't sure what his exact feelings were, but he had noticed an increase in his desire to spend time with Annie. The hitch in his breathing when he saw her and the skip in his heart when she smiled at him hadn't gone away, so he now had a theory that the cause wasn't physical, but Annie herself. He liked kissing her a lot, and when she had said that he would be a great father on Christmas Eve, he had felt warmth in his chest. Initially, he believed it was heartburn, but now he knew differently since it was present every time he thought about her. Even though he didn't understand all of the data that he had accumulated, when he pieced it together, there was only one scenario that had been acceptable.

It was time for him to pursue a story arc of his own.

He was aware that he had broken something between them earlier this month when she had stopped kissing him and he had walked out of the auditorium without replying to her. He knew this because she was clearly avoiding him, and based on what she had said that night, it was because he was technically in a relationship with Robin. Once he had decided to accept the offered plot line, Abed had known what the logical first step was. He had to break up with his observer. He just wasn't sure what words to use. He had never ended a relationship of any kind before. The other person always abandoned him first.

"You wish to pursue your roommate."

Robin's words brought his thought process to a standstill.

"What?" he asked, posture frozen in rare surprise.

"Annie Edison. Age 22. Brown hair, blue eyes. Height: 5'3". Clean criminal record. A high school dropout and former prescription pill addict. Suffered a mental breakdown that led her to rehab. Currently attending Greendale Community College as a Health Administration major."

Robin reeled off the facts with an ease that Abed appreciated. He had known that she was excellent at what she did, but he hadn't realized that she had investigated Annie.

"You wish to pursue her romantically," Robin continued. "It's obvious. You haven't noticed my recent visits to town because you are always with her. She is a suitable candidate, I suppose, though not as compatible with you as I am. She will certainly help you to grow and change, and due to your differences, the path is sure to be long and difficult. However, I can see the potential of great reward if the two of you can acclimate to each other properly."

Abed recognized the emotion that he was feeling as relief. He had known that Robin would understand if he found the right words. He hadn't been aware that she had seen him with Annie, though. Apparently he had lost his objectivity as a director long before he had made his decision to involve himself in the plot.

"I am aware of all of that. I examined the issue from all angles before coming to this conclusion," he explained.

She nodded. "I would expect nothing less."

They stood there quietly for a moment. Abed was aware that she was objectively perfect for him, so he was admittedly confused about why he wanted Annie more than Robin. It wasn't logical, but he could no longer ignore the truth.

"I have to go. I have another national peril to check up on," Robin finally said.

"Will you continue to observe me as a threat?" Abed asked, curious on whether he would finally be cleared of being a hazard.

She shook her head. "That part of our relationship is over, Abed Nadir. Your name will be removed from the list. I have come to the official conclusion that you are a simple, harmless film student with no ties to terrorist organizations."

Nodding a goodbye to him, the Secret Service agent exited the apartment. As soon as she was gone, Abed locked the door behind her and settled into his chair to watch the first season of Cougar Town. He just needed to wait for Annie to return home so that he could tell her that he had fixed things.

When the apartment door opened around two in the morning, Abed perked up.

"Where's Annie?" he asked when he realized that only two of his roommates had returned.

Britta paused as Troy entered their bedroom. She was tapping her foot impatiently, unmistakably eager to follow her boyfriend.

"Annie wanted to stay until the bar closed. Jeff said that he'd get her home safely," she explained before disappearing and closing their door behind her.

Abed frowned as he considered her words. The thought that Jeff and Annie were alone was unsettling. He tried not to dwell on the knowledge; he knew that Annie didn't love Jeff. Surely she would come straight home when the bar closed. It didn't matter that she would be late; he would wait for her.

When three o'clock rolled around, Abed accepted that Annie wasn't coming home. She had clearly gone home with Jeff just as the original plot had demanded. When he felt his physiology change with the realization, Abed decided to borrow Annie's anatomy textbook when she came home.

He hadn't known that it was physically possible for his heart to fall into his stomach.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Oh, Abed. That wasn't a physical response. Not really," Britta said sympathetically.

Annie ignored Britta, Shirley, and Troy as they comforted Abed. She couldn't take her eyes off of him, and her heart was racing with this new knowledge. She had known that he had eventually broken up with the other woman, but she hadn't known that he had done it that night. To pursue _her_. Even then, he had wanted her, complications and all, more than the simplicity of his no-romance romance.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were going to break up with her that night?" Annie asked, stunned by the discovery.

"I did. I told you that I was going to fix things," he replied simply.

Thoughts of wasted time danced through Annie's head.

"Like I said earlier, I thought that you were fixing things between you and Robin," she reminded him frantically. "But you actually meant that you were fixing things between us?"

"Yes. So that we could be together," he answered, a soft edge to his usual monotone.

Amazed, Annie had to fight back the urge to circle the table and kiss him. She hadn't known. She simply hadn't known that he had chosen her that far back. He had never told her, and she had never asked.

"Then..." she spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully, "it really was all a misunderstanding. I truly did jump to conclusions. I was just being insecure, and I nearly ruined everything because of it."

"It was partly my fault," Abed volunteered simply. "Miscommunication is at the root of most romantic obstacles in TV and movies. I should have seen the complications on the horizon based on that knowledge and made my intentions clearer."

"No, Abed. You don't bare any blame for my actions. I was jealous and upset, and I acted like a truly awful person. If I hadn't been avoiding you, if I had simply talked to you like the mature adult that I always want everyone to see me as..." she trailed off, weary and drained.

She had been such a fool, and it had cost her so much. She had hurt two of the people she cared about the most.

"Please say there's more to the story, Annie."

Troy's pleading voice reminded her that the rest of the study group was still in the room. She felt her cheeks heat as she realized that she and Abed had been working out what were definitely private issues in front of everyone. Pulling her eyes away from Abed, she focused on Troy.

"There's more to the story, Troy."

A/N 2: Don't hate me, please! Also, to those of you who believe that Annie was OOC, remember her words. Alcohol, heartbreak, and a lingering attraction to the man who didn't cause said heartbreak is one hell of a combination. And, yes, I do know what happened after Annie cut off her story (and, eventually, you guys will too).


	10. Opposing Plans

Spoilers: Anything up to and including the season three finale, 'Introduction to Finality'. In fact, several of the scenes in that episode's final montage will find their way into this story as I provide my own events that lead up to them.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. If I had any claim on Community, Abed would be all mine.

A/N: This story is coming to a close, guys. Seriously, there are only about three chapters left. But I already have an idea for my next story that I'm excited about. Other than that, I don't really have much to say about this chapter except that I hope you enjoy it. As always, I'd like to thank my reviewers: silentlyloud, harukasan0084, tenten32321, anon (yes, chapter 9 went a long way toward explaining why Jeff's been so angry all story), tnelson123, XcrazyrandomhappenstanceX, The Alternative Source, MarchesaLace, jetage, uscchr, anonymous (sorry for the Jeff/Annie, but it's important to the plot), Jess (umm, okay, then; glad that means I did my job well), Sara (you'll be happy to see that the story is winding down given your criticism), Lucy36, Whitney (thank you so much for the encouragement; I think you really said it all), and Jade (I'm not listening to the reviewers who are just trying to get me down; I'm really happy that you and several others understand that characters are supposed to grow and develop, because otherwise, what's the point in even writing the story? Oh, and, yes, if you want to use some of the moments in this story for inspiration in your art, that's fine. I just ask that you site the story as the source of the moment, and definitely let me know where I can find it because I would love to see that!). Every single one of your comments is highly treasured (yes, even the constructive criticism). Please read and review! Thanks!

Chapter Ten: Opposing Plans

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Oh, good," Troy sighed, relaxing back into his chair. "I don't think I would like this story very much if it ended there."

Annie couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips at his perfectly visible relief. Maybe he wasn't all that pleased with her right now, but he still wanted a happy ending to the story.

"Then it's a good thing that there is still considerably more to tell. As you guys now know, I had spent the night with Jeff, but I didn't remember what happened after we went into his bedroom. When I woke up next to him, I really just wanted to go home. Luckily, he...uh, he didn't argue with me over it. He kind of encouraged it."

Since Annie actually did remember what had happened, she edited the events she told the group even as the real memories of that morning washed over her.

ooooo

_Sunday, January 20, 2013_

Once again fully dressed, Annie paused in the doorway of the bedroom. She stared at Jeff, who was sleeping on his stomach, one arm across the pillow above his head and the other at his side.

She wanted to leave. She didn't want to deal with the awkward scene that she knew would come if she waited for him to wake up. Still, Annie knew that it would be low of her to run off without facing him. She couldn't do that to him, not after she had already used him in a failed attempt to get over Abed. She watched as he reached out to the spot that she had just vacated.

Seconds later, a sleepy pair of blue eyes was blinking over at her.

"Annie?" he asked, his voice thick with exhaustion. "What are you doing?"

She offered him a wavering smile. "I'm going home, Jeff. I want to get back before the others wake up."

His brow furrowed in confusion and Annie could see him struggling to think through the haze of sleep.

"Why?"

Running her hand over her tousled hair, she sighed softly. She couldn't believe that she was about to give Jeff Winger a discretion speech of her very own. All those times that he blown her off, she had never imagined that she would one day do the same thing to him. Only she was even worse. At least Jeff hadn't taken advantage of her feelings as she had his.

"I think it's best if we keep what happened tonight to ourselves," she began, her voice more confident than she felt. "If the group found out, the results could be disastrous."

Pushing the sheet off, Jeff climbed out of bed, unashamed by his nudity. Initially surprised, Annie studiously kept her eyes on his face, her cheeks blazing.

"Again, why?" he questioned when he stopped in front of her. "If we're dating now, don't you think they'll eventually find out? So why should we hide it?"

Annie bit her lip nervously, her heart sinking with his words. He certainly wasn't going to make this easy on her, was he?

"But we're not dating," she blurted out, unable to think of a delicate way to put it. "I think last night proved that we don't belong together, Jeff."

He scowled. "But we're good together. And I know you have feelings for me."

She shook her head. "Not like I did. I've grown up and moved on. I am attracted to you, yes, but I can't in good conscience date you knowing that I don't feel as strongly about you as I should."

He stared at her for several moments, the tense silence growing between them. Annie wished that he would say something. She wished that she hadn't just ruined her friendship with him simply because she couldn't get past Abed. She _really _wished that she had just gone home when Britta asked her to.

"You should probably leave," he finally said.

His cold tone hurt her, but she knew that she deserved it.

"I am _so _sorry, Jeff," she apologized, exiting the bedroom.

She knew that he would think she was simply apologizing for not returning his feelings, but he didn't know the full truth.

She felt wretched that she had used him to replace the man she truly wanted.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"I'm confused," Britta announced the instant Annie finished her slightly modified account of the events for the group.

"What's your question?" Annie asked.

Instead of looking at her, the blonde turned to Jeff.

"If you already knew that you and Annie don't end up together before she even started telling the story, why have you been so pissed off all day?"

He glowered at her. "I always suspected that Annie had picked Abed over me even if I didn't think it was any more than a crush on her part. Today she confirmed my suspicions. No matter what Abed has always said, I'm not the hero in Annie's story; I'm the poor sap who gets ditched for someone else. I never even stood a chance. That much has been obvious since she told us about kissing him during paintball. It makes me look like an idiot."

"Awe, Jeffrey," Shirley said, her tone gentle. "You don't look like an idiot. Although I wouldn't approve of you and Annie as a couple, it's nice to know you actually pursued her seriously. That takes a maturity that I've always known you possessed even if you rarely display it. Just go after someone your own age next time, okay?"

Annie felt terribly guilty. She had known that certain parts of the story wouldn't be easy for Jeff, but she had no idea that he was feeling so badly about it. She should have realized that he was more sensitive than he acted most of the time.

"I'm sorry that I've been so insensitive today," she apologized, reaching over to place her hand on his lower arm. "I don't have to finish the story, Jeff. Or you can leave if you want. I wouldn't blame you; you shouldn't have to listen to all of this."

He frowned at her thoughtfully. "I've already listened to the rest of it, so I may as well stick around. Besides, it's not like I can go anywhere now, is it?"

Although Annie was confused by that last sentence and the way the group became immediately restless, she brushed it off. She had more awkward encounters to cover.

"So after I left Jeff's, I took the bus home," she explained. "It was only five in the morning, so I thought I would be able to sneak in, but as Britta already told you guys, she caught me."

ooooo

_Sunday, January 20, 2013_

After entering the apartment, Annie shut the door quietly so she wouldn't disturb Abed in the blanket fort. Turning around, she was startled to find Britta standing in the living room, a glass of water in her hand. Letting out a startled squeak, Annie dashed for her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Leaning against the wood, she tried to calm her heart rate. Oh, this wasn't good. There was no way that Britta wouldn't know exactly where she had spent the night. Setting the problem aside to deal with later, Annie changed into her comfiest pajamas and climbed under the covers.

Sleep was a long time coming.

It felt like she'd only been out for minutes when she was harshly shaken awake. Reaching out blindly, she slapped away the offending hands.

"Annie Edison, I swear to Shirley's God that if you don't wake up right now, I'll dump water on you."

Britta's voice was so threatening that Annie had an instant mental picture of soggy, ruined sheets. That, more than anything else, convinced her to turn her head and blink up at the blonde.

"You wouldn't," she muttered sleepily.

"I would," Britta rebutted, her expression stern. "So just wake up. We need to talk."

Groaning because she knew exactly what the other woman wanted to discuss, Annie rolled from her side onto her back and stared at the ceiling.

"Go ahead," she mumbled. "Start yelling at me."

Britta appeared genuinely confused.

"Why would I yell at you?"

"Because I went home with Jeff last night," she admitted guiltily.

"Oh, Annie. Sleeping with Jeff isn't a bad thing even when it's a mistake. He can be pretty irresistible. That's why so many women have had sex with him at least once," she offered sympathetically.

"Not Shirley," Annie pointed out, glancing at Britta when she sat down on the side of the bed. "She was single for nearly two years and she never stayed with him. She must be smarter than both of us."

The blonde immediately stated, "She had sex with Chang. She fulfilled several lifetimes of mistakes with that one."

Amusement working its way through her misery, Annie propped herself up on her pillow.

"So if you don't want to yell at me, then what do you want?" she questioned curiously, no longer as anxious about the conversation.

The blonde's face was earnest when she answered.

"I want to make sure that you're okay. You had quite a bit to drink last night."

The caring tone and unexpected support that Britta was offering nearly broke Annie. It would be so easy to unload some of her burdens onto her friend. However, she owed Jeff her silence about what happened the previous night. Plus, she didn't want to see the pity that would surely appear if she explained about the whole thing with Abed and Robin. Annie bit back a sigh. She was going to have to lie or at least obscure the truth.

"I'm fine, Britta. I knew what I was getting myself into last night when I made the decision to go home with him."

Britta's lips pursed as she considered Annie's answer.

"Are you two a couple now?" she finally asked.

Annie shook her head. "I turned him down before I left. He, uh, he didn't take it well."

"Probably not," her roommate agreed easily. "Jeff doesn't like to be told no when he wants something."

They were quiet for a minute before Annie asked the question that she knew she had to if she didn't want the group to be affected by her poor judgement.

"Could you please not tell anyone about what happened last night?"

Britta nodded. "Sure."

She stood to leave and Annie breathed easier. That hadn't been nearly as painful as she had expected it to be.

"Oh!"

Britta paused on her way out the door to glance over her shoulder at Annie.

"If you don't want anyone else to know, you should probably talk to Abed, too. I think he waited up for you last night. He's smart, so I'm sure he already figured out where you were."

As her friend exited the room, Annie slumped back down and pulled her pillow over her head. She let out a muffled groan of frustration. _Of course _she'd have to ask Abed to keep quiet. How messed up was that? She had to ask the guy she had feelings for not to tell their friends that she had spent the night with someone else in an effort to get over him. There were just so many things wrong with that sentence!

"Are you trying to suffocate yourself?"

Annie shook her head, the still-in-place pillow moving with her, at the sound of Abed's voice.

"Good," he said simply. "Because you're doing it wrong and I wouldn't feel comfortable teaching you how to do it right."

Lifting the pillow, Annie stared at him in bewilderment. What a weird thing to say, even for him. He was standing in the doorway to her room, still dressed in his pajamas with his hair mussed. He was highly appealing in his disheveled state and Annie bit her lip to keep from launching herself across the room at him. When she realized that he was gazing at the spot where her lip was sucked in, she let go and popped it back out. His staring really wasn't helping her with her restraint.

"Stop looking at me," she insisted before dropping the pillow back down.

"Sorry," he replied instantly, his voice emotionless.

Silence descended on the room, making her squirm uncomfortably. Once again she could feel a question rising in her, but she didn't want to ask. She really didn't want to ask. She could feel the tension building in her spine that guaranteed she would, though. In an effort to prevent it, she bit her pillow. The texture of the pillowcase was annoying between her teeth so she let go. The instant her mouth was free, she voiced her question quietly into the cushion.

"What, Annie?" he asked immediately.

Growling softly, Annie took the pillow off her face and sat up.

"I said, how did your night with Robin go?"

She tried to keep the scowl off her face and the attitude out of her voice, but she could tell that she was unsuccessful, even if Abed didn't seem to notice.

His face was completely impassive. "I achieved my objective."

When the expected pain pierced her heart, Annie turned her face away from him to stare at the wall next to the bed. Apparently he had 'fixed things'. It wasn't like she had expected anything less, but it hurt all the same to hear that he had been successful. Especially when her own night had been a complete failure.

"You and Jeff corrected the story's trajectory last night."

Startled that he would approach the subject so bluntly, Annie swiveled her head around to stare at him.

"What?" she asked, caught off guard.

He was expressionless. Annie had gotten quite good at reading his emotions recently, but everything about him was so stoic in that moment that she didn't have a clue what he was thinking or feeling.

"You stayed the night at Jeff's. The original plot line is once again intact, minus the abnormality of Troy and Britta's relationship."

Annie was unsettled by how emotionless he was. The two of them had been kissing a mere two weeks ago, and now...what? It just didn't matter to him? She knew that he had chosen Robin, but shouldn't he be at least slightly disturbed by the idea of her with Jeff? Heaven knew that she was completely traumatized by the thought that he had slept with Robin last night. The more she thought about it, the more miffed she grew. Did their kisses really mean that little to him?

"I'm not dating Jeff," she clarified in a tight voice. "But it's nice to know that I would have your full approval if I did."

Okay, so using sarcasm probably wasn't the best way to get to Abed. He usually didn't catch on to it. Still, she was so angry that he was _so fine_with her sleeping with Jeff that she naturally resorted to the less than pleasant tone.

"Of course I approve," he answered in his normal monotone, proving that he had missed the subtlety of her tone. "As long as you're happy, Annie."

"But I'm not dating Jeff," she repeated insistently. "So please don't tell anyone else about where I was last night."

He cocked his head to one side and studied her for a moment before nodding.

"Your secret is safe with me."

The he left the room. Once he was gone, Annie was stuck in a state of mixed emotions. She was utterly confused, very angry, and completely hurt. He didn't seem at all perturbed by the fact that she had stayed at Jeff's last night. But she could have sworn that even if he didn't want her, he had cared on some level. Why else would he have kissed her to begin with?

Feeling distinctly upset, Annie sunk down on the bed and pulled her pillow back over her head.

Today seemed like a good day to disappear.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

For once, nobody interrupted Annie, but she felt like she needed to add some light commentary at this point before moving on to the next major event.

"I spent the rest of that day hiding in my room. I practiced my dancing since I knew that filming would restart on Abed's movie soon and I read ahead in a couple of my textbooks. I thought a lot about the different conversations that I'd had with Abed, especially what he had said to me the day that Britta moved in. I finally figured out what he had meant when he had explained why he was dating Robin that day. Mostly, though, I was just preparing myself for the next day at school. I knew that it was going to be awkward when the study group met and I had to be in the same room as both Abed and Jeff."

She paused to glance around the room at her friends, her eyes lingering on the two guys. Jeff still seemed upset and Abed was as impassive as ever.

"And, boy, was I ever right," she continued. "The topic of that day's study session didn't help either."

ooooo

_Monday, January 21, 2013_

"The ending wasn't a happy one," Abed asserted confidently. "It would be out of character for Claire to maintain her relationship with Bender, Andy probably didn't stay with Alison, and they still had to deal with the same family problems when they went home. At best, the ending was neutral because it's doubtful that anything changed on Monday."

Clearly frustrated with trying to argue that The Breakfast Club had a happy ending, Shirley let out a long sigh.

"Okay, Abed. Let's just move on. What's the next movie on the list, Annie?"

They were studying the chapter about teen movies. Since Abed was quite a fan of teen movies, they had all seen most of them at least once because of him. Annie, Troy, and Britta had seen most of the movies several times, courtesy of living with him. Unsurprisingly, pretty much the entirety of the John Hughes catalogue was on their list.

Annie frowned when she saw the next movie.

"Pretty in Pink," she read.

"The legacy of that one is obvious," Britta said with a roll of her eyes. "Obviously the Blane versus Duckie debate is the main thing that movie contributed to pop culture."

"Which is really silly," Troy contributed. "Because it's obvious who Andie should have picked."

"Duckie," said Abed, Britta, and Shirley at the same time that Jeff, Troy, and Pierce said, "Blane."

"Why would she pick Blane?" Britta asked. "He was a jerk who ditched her when his friends disapproved."

Troy grimaced. "They pressured him into it, and he did eventually tell them off. In high school, it's really hard to even be friends with whoever you want when you're popular, so the fact that he did finally date her was really brave."

Annie ignored the look that Troy cast at her. She knew that there was a part of him that still felt bad about ignoring her back then, but it didn't matter to her anymore. They were friends now and that was what counted.

"But Duckie loved her the whole time. He didn't care what anyone else thought about her," Shirley pointed out.

"Blane's rich. Duckie's poor. The end," Pierce chipped in as if it should be completely obvious.

"Shut up, Pierce," Britta snapped at him.

"Duckie was just a chump who couldn't man up and tell her he loved her," Jeff threw in. "At least Blane had the balls to go after her."

The way that Jeff was looking at her was a little more difficult to ignore than Troy. He was clearly holding a grudge for her using him and then rejecting his feelings. Annie stared down at the movie list, pretending to read.

"Duckie was objectively a better match for her," Abed stated, his voice lacking inflection. "They were from similar socio-economic backgrounds, shared the same interests, and were part of the same clique at school."

Annie felt the moment that his gaze settled on her. She knew that he expected her to back him up; they may have argued about several of John Hughes' movies, but they had always easily agreed that Andie belonged with Duckie. However, after their conversation yesterday and a bit of thought about some of Abed's previous words, Annie felt a bit less supportive of him than she normally would have.

Lifting her eyes from the book, she glanced at Jeff and then Abed.

"I currently find that I'm torn between Blane and Duckie," she finally spoke up. "Duckie seems like the best choice, but he obviously didn't love her enough if he couldn't just tell her how he felt. At least Blane was able to do that much, although he was definitely the more stereotypical choice and probably buckled to peer pressure and broke her heart shortly after the movie ended."

She could tell that Abed wasn't at all happy with her opinion.

"You always picked Duckie before. Why would you change your mind now?" he asked, his voice tinged in confusion.

Annie kept her expression as neutral as possible but couldn't help the note of annoyance that entered her tone.

"Maybe I considered all of the facts from a more objective point of view. If Duckie really wanted to be with Andie, wouldn't he have made some sort of move on her? Wouldn't he have confessed his feelings for her?" she questioned sharply.

"He asked her to prom," Abed immediately noted.

"As _friends_," she reminded him, emphasizing the last word. "He didn't ask her to be his date romantically."

"It was implied when he asked her. It should have been obvious to Andie how he felt about her. Anyone watching the movie would be able to see it even if the love triangle wasn't such a common trope."

"Andie shouldn't have been expected to read his mind. If he wanted to go to prom with her as something other than friends, then maybe he should have said, 'Hey, Andie. Want to go to prom, but not as friends because I'm actually desperately in love with you?'," she argued, deepening her voice briefly before picking it back up to her normal pitch. "If he wanted her to pick him, actually telling her that he was even an option might have been a good thing."

"He shouldn't have had to tell her," he repeated. "It was clear to everyone watching the movie."

Annie was well-versed enough in Abed's mannerisms to know that he was starting to get frustrated with her arguments. However, she just couldn't help herself. As ridiculous as it seemed, this entire argument was rubbing her the wrong way. Maybe it was because she had found herself considering Abed's words from the day Britta moved in while she was hiding in her room yesterday. As she had thought about them, she had started to feel like he had been telling her that he had feelings for her; that he had only picked Robin because he didn't care as much about her and that was easier. But if he did have feelings for her, Annie, then...

"Then why did he encourage her to be with Blane at the end?" she finally voiced the question that had been bugging her since she had figured out the meaning of Abed's speech that day, changed slightly to suit the current conversation. "If he had real feelings for her, then shouldn't he have let her know instead of sending her off to chase after some other guy? No, what I think, after closer consideration, is that Duckie only had feelings for Andie because she was convenient. If it had been anything more than that, he would have told her at some point during the movie, especially when he realized that she was going after a guy who was obviously going to break her heart later. Not to mention how easily he moved on with that other girl at the end of the movie."

Silence fell over the room when she finished her impassioned speech. Slightly embarrassed, Annie looked around at the rest of the study group. Most of them appeared thoughtful, but Jeff seemed angry. Annie could only pray that he hadn't picked up on anything between her and Abed because if he had, then he would know that he was Blane in this scenario which would mean that she had just insulted him by saying that he would have broken her heart if they dated. She didn't think he would have, not purposely at least, but Blane certainly would have hurt Andie as soon as the peer pressure got to him.

"I heard that Duckie was gay," Pierce offered.

"He was not," Annie and Abed said simultaneously.

"That's just what I heard," the older man stated defensively, sinking back into his chair petulantly.

Annie frowned. "There's nothing wrong with being gay, Pierce, but..."

"If Duckie had been gay, it would have invalidated a large portion of the movie's plot," Abed butted in to finish her thought.

"Things would have been easier for Blane if Duckie _was _gay," Jeff muttered under his breath.

Annie wasn't sure if anyone else had heard him, but she wasn't about to comment on that particular insight.

"You still haven't addressed my points, Abed," she observed instead. "Does that mean that I win this argument?"

"No," he disagreed stubbornly. "Duckie loved Andie. He told her to go after Blane because that was who she wanted and he wanted her to be happy, even if it meant that she was with someone else. It's a simple plot device that is often used to settle love triangles where both romantic interests are likable. And they only included the other girl so that Duckie, who was clearly a sympathetic character, could have a happy ending too, since test audiences didn't respond well to the initial ending where Andie wound up with Duckie."

"So sometimes the plot has to be adjusted to please the audience?" Annie asked pointedly.

Abed nodded. "Sometimes, but often the initial plot has greater integrity."

"Even when it's not what the characters want?"

The quiet that fell between them was intense. Annie could feel the others watching them, but she kept her eyes on Abed. She was aware that her last question was off topic since the movie could have gone either way, but she didn't worry about that. She just hoped that he understood the subtext of her question, although she doubted it. Conversational nuance wasn't exactly his strong suit, but maybe if he didn't get it now, he would if given some time to process her words.

"I think we can all agree that arguments like this one are the legacy that the Duckie/Andie/Blane triangle contributed to pop culture," Shirley finally said. "Give us the next movie, Annie."

The sound of her name drew Annie's attention away from Abed. As she looked down at the list, she was uncertain if Abed had understood that she wasn't arguing about Duckie's feelings for Andie.

She was trying to shed some light on his feelings for her.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Man, we are stupid," Troy lamented.

"I know," Britta agreed. "How did we not see that argument for what it was? Even if we didn't know that anything was going on with the two of you, we should have picked up on the fact that something was off."

Annie chuckled. "It's okay, Britta. Even a psych major can't be expected to see everything that's going on around her. But, yeah, when I look back at that day, I'm a little surprised that no one noticed why I was so upset through the entire debate."

"Did you understand what she was trying to say, Abed?" Shirley asked curiously.

The corners of his mouth turned down faintly. "I was confused initially. I spent that night sorting through her arguments because I had the distinct feeling that I had lost, which never happens to me when debating media. Once I filtered the information through common romantic movie tropes, I was finally able to see her motivations in the correct light."

When he stopped talking, Annie picked up the story again.

"Of course, I didn't know if I'd gotten through to him, and even if I had known, I thought that he was still with Robin. I was determined to move past him, but this time I was going to do it in a healthy way. Instead of rebounding with someone else and hurting them as I had Jeff, I was simply going to focus on the other areas of my life. One of those areas was Abed's movie, which we resumed work on that weekend."

ooooo

_Saturday, January 26, 2013_

Annie stared around the room at the bustling crowd of students. Occasionally one of them would catch sight of her as they passed and laugh.

It was the day that she had been dreading. Abed had called them all to the auditorium to shoot her dancing scene, so Annie was once again standing next to the stage in her bunny costume. She had already removed her coat, but given the looks that she was drawing, she really wished that she had left it on. She sighed. At least she'd get the discomfort of being so scantily clad in front of everyone out of the way before she was on stage.

"You should get into place," Abed directed, stopping in front of her after checking the positioning of the two cameramen.

Annie nodded. "Okay."

Her nervousness immediately spiked, though, and she couldn't move. _Why, oh why, had she agreed to this? _Abed's film, his very grade, depended on her and her ability to dance sexily, but she didn't know if she was capable of doing what he needed her to. She had practiced, yes, but that was in her own bedroom. She just prayed that she wouldn't freeze when she was in front of everyone.

"You're my best option."

Abed's flat reiteration of his confidence in her gave Annie courage. Taking a deep breath, she climbed onto the stage and took her place in the wings. Peeking around the curtains, she watched as Abed called everyone to order and got them into their seats before taking his own seat in the center of the front row. The students quieted down and Abed called for action.

One of Leonard's hipster friends brushed past Annie onto the stage, a microphone in hand.

"And now welcome everyone's favorite dancer to the stage: Tiffany!"

When Annie's character's stage name was called, she squared her shoulders, lifted her chin, and walked onto the stage, passing Leonard's friend as he exited.

Taking her place in front of the pole, Annie panicked when she saw all of the people staring up at her. Immediately, her eyes sought out Abed. When she found him, she relaxed slightly. If she just ignored everyone else, if she pretended that she was dancing for him and him alone, then she could probably get through this. He was her friend and he hadn't laughed at her when she had failed miserably rehearsing this scene three weeks ago. Yes, she could do this as long as she thought about Abed and only Abed.

When the song began, Annie started to sway her hips with the beat. As the music washed over her, she began to dance. She tried her best to remember all of the seductive moves that she had learned over the past weeks. Moving backward, she grabbed the pole and swung around it, lifting her feet off the ground. When she landed back in front of it, she leaned back against it. Reaching her hands above her head to grasp the pole, she arched her back to thrust her chest up and out before flattening her back against the metal again. Annie continued in the same vein, pulling out every last one of the moves that she had learned by watching Youtube. She kept the beat of the music and focused on the thought that it was just Abed out there watching her.

When the song ended, Annie smiled out at the applauding crowd. Her character was supposed to be a very friendly dancer. That was part of the reason why she finds herself dealing with a stalker in the movie: because she seemed approachable and wasn't afraid to socialize with her customers. Seconds later, she left the stage and heard Abed call cut.

Annie hid backstage and listened to Abed dismiss the other students. Now that the music had stopped and she was off stage, she was mortified to think about the dance that she had just performed. She really hoped that it had been acceptable instead of ridiculous like she thought it probably was because she couldn't stand the thought of having to do it again. If Abed couldn't use the footage, then he would have to get a new lead. She definitely wasn't willing to dance like that again.

"Annie?"

Abed's voice sounded several minutes later after the room had quieted. Humiliated, Annie sneaked to the edge of the curtains and peeked around them. When she saw that the rest of the students had cleared out, she stepped onto the stage and hurried down the stairs. Abed was waiting at the bottom of them for her.

"Are we done with this scene?" she asked, speeding past him toward the sanctuary of her coat, which she had left over the back of the seat that he had used.

"Yes. I have to edit it, of course, but you won't have to dance again," he replied tonelessly.

Pulling her coat over her arms and immediately feeling better for the coverage, she turned around.

"So I did okay, then?" she questioned nervously. "The footage is usable?"

As embarrassing as the entire performance had been, she really wanted Abed's approval. She wanted to know that he at least had found her dance sexy and not awkward. She shouldn't want him to think that, not when he still had a girlfriend, but she wasn't entirely logical when it came to him.

She shifted nervously when he stopped just inches from her.

"Your performance was excellent," he praised her in a flat voice. "I told you that you were the right choice."

There may not have been any sort of emotion in his tone, but his eyes were burning with a heat that caused her own barely restrained desire for him to immediately flair up. When he reached out for her, she froze. Her last shreds of sanity were yelling at her to run. They said that if she let him kiss her now, she would never recover from her addiction to him. She was so busy fighting with her lust that she didn't move away before he pushed her hair back from her forehead. When he slid his hand down her temple to cup her cheek, Annie leaned into his touch, her eyes starting to drift closed. He felt so good. The alarms in her head picked up volume as did her heartbeat, and Annie realized that she needed to get away from him. For her own sanity, she couldn't relapse; she couldn't kiss him.

Opening her eyes, Annie pulled away from him.

"I have to go home. I have a test to study for," she got out, her voice choked.

She didn't wait for his response. She just hurried away from him as quickly as her legs would carry her.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Annie, I'm so proud of you for walking away when you wanted to," Shirley declared happily before adding, "Not that you needed to since Abed was single."

Blushing faintly, Annie nodded. "Yeah. There was a lot of miscommunication going on at the time. I thought that Abed was still seeing Robin. He apparently thought that I knew that they had broken up, although I very definitely didn't know that. So I was very confused about why he seemed to be trying to kiss me again."

Britta let out a small laugh, and Annie glared at her. There wasn't anything funny about that time in her life. It had been all uncertainty, pain, and difficulty.

"I'm sorry," the blonde apologized, shaking her head. "It's just that all of this could have been avoided if you had just talked to each other. It seems silly listening to you lament about almost kissing him when we know that he was free at the time. You still haven't told us if you two are actually a couple now, but I honestly wouldn't be surprised if you aren't. Neither of you really seem to have it together in the story."

"Don't say that," Troy pleaded. "Of course they're together. That's the only way they could have a happy ending."

"They're dating, alright," Pierce announced. "Haven't you all seen the gross googly eyes they've been aiming at each other the whole time?"

"Hey! You're right!" Britta agreed, and then frowned. "I will never admit that I just said that Pierce was right."

"You don't have to," Pierce said smugly. "I heard it."

The blonde let out a frustrated noise. "Stop talking, Pierce." Her psych major face slid back into place. "Abed, I'm sure that you were confused, too. How did you handle that?"

Annie watched as his brow furrowed before he answered.

"Since I thought that Annie knew that I had broken up with Robin, I wasn't sure what I had done wrong. After several hours of consideration, I decided that I must have chosen an inappropriate approach. Between her avoidance of the kiss and what she had said during our discussion about Pretty in Pink, there was only one logical conclusion. Annie wanted to be pursued properly, and by trying to kiss her, I had skipped a step. I was unfamiliar with courting women, however, because they normally approach me first. So I spent the next week studying several romantic movies to find a proper method to use. I eventually decided that, given her character, Annie would prefer the tactic of a typical Disney prince. So I started looking for a way to save her."

Annie gawked at him in disbelief. "Abed, you know that I'm not a damsel in distress, right?"

"I know that," he acknowledged, emotionless. "But you like heroes. You proved that with your response to me when I was in character as both Han and Batman. I needed to find a way to make you see me as a hero. I thought that you would want to kiss me again then."

This was just too much. When Annie had began this story, she had known that she would be telling her friends things that they hadn't already known. She'd had no idea that she would learn so much in the process, too. The thought that Abed would go to so much effort for her was very warming. But, talk about being at odds. While she was trying to get over him, he was trying to win her over. And rather effectively, at that.

"If you were aiming to be a hero, then you succeeded at the beginning of February," Annie admitted, beaming shyly at him.

ooooo

_Saturday, February 2, 2013_

"I just need you to go from your car to the door. Start off at a normal walk, but when you hear Brian's footsteps behind you, speed up and then start running," Abed instructed Annie.

They were standing in the parking lot of their apartment building, preparing to film one of the scariest scenes in the movie. It was the scene where Sarah's stalker finally catches up to her. Sarah was due to get into the building just in time and escape, but it was a big scene because it was where she finally starts to face the realities of dealing with a stalker. This scene was also the one that would send her to stay with Naveed until she was safe again, leading to some sweet moments between their characters.

"Why do I have to wear this costume again?" she asked. "Couldn't I just wear jeans and tennis shoes instead?"

She glanced down at the short black skirt that she was wearing. She was freezing in it despite the fact that she had her coat on, but she couldn't argue the effect. At least she would look like she was shivering in fear. She was worried about the shoes, though. Annie never wore stiletto heels; she preferred flats. While she had spent the last week walking around the apartment in the stilettos to get used to the balance issues, she wasn't sure how she was going to successfully run in them. At least the parking lot was a fairly even surface, although a bit more gravelly than she would have preferred.

"That wouldn't be as dramatic," Abed pointed out. "The heels add tension because the audience will worry about one of them breaking or you falling, allowing the stalker to catch you."

Annie groaned. Okay, so that made a lot of sense, but it didn't mean that she had to like it.

"We'll do this a couple of times. On the first run, I'll keep pace with you so that I can film you close up, so try to look properly scared. The second time, Robert and I will film you from either end of the parking lot so that we can have distance shots that show Brian behind you."

Pulling her coat around her and feeling thankful that the movie was set in the winter so that she could leave it on, Annie practiced looking scared while she waited for Abed to get his camera settled at the proper height.

"Ready," he finally said. "Action."

Annie started walking from her car at the far end of the parking lot, Abed right next to her with his camera pointed at her. When she heard Brian's footsteps behind her, she sped up, allowing nervousness to surface on her face. His speed picked up, so she started running to the building, wobbling slightly on her heels and fixing on her best terrified expression.

When she reached the door, she quickly pressed a few buttons on the fake pad that was supposed to make it look like a secure building, pushed the door open, and entered just as Brian reached the building.

"Cut," Abed stated, lowering his camera as Annie exited the building. "You did well. You have one more trip to make."

She carefully walked back to her starting point. She had survived one run across the parking lot without hurting herself, so she was pretty happy about that. Clasping her hands, she waited for Abed to take his place at the building while Robert, the other camera man, took a few steps behind her. When Abed gestured for her to come toward him, she started walking. She repeated her journey to their building, feeling much more confident this time when she started running.

The confidence was short lived because she stepped down wrong, lost her footing, and pitched forward, landing hard on her right knee. Letting out a cry of pain, she immediately dropped back onto her butt, grasping the throbbing area. Staring forward, she saw that she had landed on a fairly sizable chunk of sharp stone.

She was lost in a world of pain when Abed knelt next to her.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, worry tinting his tone.

Looking up at him through watery eyes, she nodded.

"Let me see," he demanded.

Annie moved her hands from her knee so that he could see what was wrong. Being that she was the health administration major, she also leaned in to examine the injury, but it was too dark for her to have a good view. When she tried to bend it, a sharp twinge ran through it, causing her to gasp, so she left her leg flat on the ground. She stared at the back of Abed's head as he leaned in close.

"It looks bad, Annie. There's a lot of blood and rocks. I should probably take you to the hospital," he finally announced tonelessly.

Wow. It must look horrible if he was recommending a trip to the hospital given his phobia of doctors. Then his words fully registered, and panic shot through her.

"No! You can't. I don't have insurance because my parents kicked me off of theirs when I got out of rehab. I can't afford a trip to the hospital."

"Annie..."

"Please, Abed," she pleaded desperately. "Just help me back to the apartment. I can get a look at it under the light that way."

She expected him to offer her his hand so that he could pull her into a standing position, so she was completely shocked when he instead crouched down and picked her up off the ground. He had one arm wrapped around her back and the other under her legs. Feeling unstable, Annie wrapped her arms around his neck. She kept her left leg straight because it hurt far too much to bend it.

"You don't need to carry me, Abed. I'm sure that I could walk perfectly fine if you just helped me," she protested.

He ignored her, and she could privately admit that she was glad for that. Abed's arms were quite comfy. If it weren't for how horrible her knee felt, she would be perfectly happy right now. Then again, she wouldn't be in his arms if she wasn't injured.

Being careful of her leg, he maneuvered them through the building's door which Brian had opened. After Abed effortlessly carried her upstairs, the drama major, who had followed them, opened the door to 303. Abed quickly dismissed him and Robert for the night before kicking the door shut behind him. He carried Annie into the bathroom and set her down on the edge of the counter.

Once again, Annie found herself marveling at how strong he was. He didn't look like he should be able to carry her all the way from the parking lot to their apartment, but he had done so easily. He didn't even seem to be out of breath. Then again, maybe it shouldn't be so surprising. She had seen (drooled over, actually) his arms on several occasions and they were quite impressive.

Lifting her leg and ignoring the pain as best she could, Annie looked down at her knee. She grimaced when she saw that the skin had been torn from the area, leaving a fairly deep hole. There were several small rocks embedded in the wound and she was bleeding. Reaching down, she brushed away the loose rocks and probed the area around the gash. She let out a hiss. It was definitely going to bruise and it would probably hurt to walk for a while, but at least it didn't feel broken.

"Could you get the first aid kit out of the cabinet? Oh, and some soap and a washcloth?" she asked Abed, who had been watching her silently.

He moved around the bathroom, gathering the items, and then handed them all over to her.

"Do you need stitches?" he asked, sounding concerned.

She shook her head. "I'm pretty sure I don't, but it'll depend on whether I can stop the bleeding."

She started by washing the wound the best that she could. Taking the first aid kit from him, she started digging out the supplies that she needed. Once she had placed the items she needed on the top of the pile, she stared down at her knee again and frowned. Swiveling around, she opened the medicine cabinet and dug her tweezers out. Pouring alcohol over them, she made sure that they were thoroughly sterilized before leaning over the leg that she had stretched out. She started plucking out the pebbles that she hadn't been able to brush or wash away. It was not a pleasant process.

"Do you need help?"

Letting out a small cry as she pulled out a particularly large fragment of stone, Annie took her attention off of her work to look at her roommate. His brow was slightly furrowed and his lips were turned down at the corners. Between those signs and the stiff tension in his shoulders, she could tell that he was worried and possibly feeling a little helpless. Although she knew how horrible those things felt, she couldn't think of anything for him to do.

"I think I've got it," she said.

While he watched her, Annie finished pulling the rocks out and dropped the tweezers. She unclenched her jaw with a quiet hiss. Closing her eyes, she prepared herself for the rest of the process. Although alcohol wasn't strictly necessary, she wanted to make sure that the hole was clean and wouldn't get infected. Still, she knew that it would sting like heck.

"You don't have to stay here," she pointed out to her quiet roommate as she applied pressure to the wound. "I'm sure I can handle this on my own."

"You might need help," he responded.

Annie stared up at him. He had a determined look on his face, so she bit back a small smile. Between carrying her upstairs and his insistence that he be here to help her, he was acting like her own personal hero. She certainly felt special in that moment.

"Okay, then," she replied easily.

As soon as the bleeding thankfully stopped, she washed the injury with soap and water once more before picking up the bottle of alcohol. Clenching her jaw so that she wouldn't make any noise, she poured the clear liquid over her knee. The pain was so strong that she felt tears rise in her eyes and she couldn't stop a small whimper from escaping her throat.

"Are you okay?" Abed asked the instant he heard it.

He stepped up so that he was right next to her, close enough to touch. Annie had always been a wimp about pain, so, unable to help herself, she reached out and grabbed one of Abed's hands with her left while she trickled more alcohol on the wound with her right. She felt him stiffen at the contact, but when fresh pain from the new bout of alcohol hit her, she clenched his hand. When she finally loosened her grip as the sting wore off, Abed gave her a comforting squeeze back.

As wonderful as the contact felt, Annie pulled her hand out of his. She needed both to apply the antibiotic ointment and wrap her knee. The ointment was easy enough, and taping clean gauze over the gash went smoothly. However, when she started to wrap bandaging around her knee, she found that she couldn't get the angle right.

"Hey, Abed?"

He was still standing right where he had been when she held his hand.

"Yes, Annie?"

"Could you help me out, please?" she questioned, gesturing helplessly at the bandaging that was dangling to the side of her leg.

He didn't answer, but he did immediately relocate himself so that he was next to her knee. He was too tall to work effectively while standing, so he squatted down. When his hand slid up her calf to hold her leg steady, a shiver of electricity ran up her spine. Using his other hand, he quickly and efficiently wrapped the bandage around her knee and then taped it in place. Although he had worked fast, Annie's skin burned where his hand was resting. She needed him to let go before he realized that she was getting aroused from the combination of contact and his position between her legs.

When he continued to hold her calf even though his work was done, Annie started wondering why he hadn't let go yet. She was just considering the best way of taking her limb back when he did something that erased all of her thoughts.

He pressed a soft kiss to her thigh just above the bandage.

Standing up, Abed stared down at her, his normally blank expression edged with awkwardness.

"If you're done, I can help you into the living room," he offered tentatively.

Annie couldn't speak. What he had just done...there was nothing sexual about that kiss. Using her experience at reading his expressions, she could see how nervous he was. The thought that she was the reason why; that maybe his action had thrown him off as much as it had her, made her feel all tingly. She smiled up at him.

"Okay," she agreed.

He circled his arm around her waist on the right side and Annie placed hers over his shoulder. He helped her off the counter. She really hoped that by Monday she'd be able to walk on her own, although she was currently in too much pain to turn down Abed's help if he was offering it. Her favorite roommate guided her out of the bathroom.

"What were you guys doing in there?"

Troy was standing near the bathroom door. His expression and tone were both suspicious.

"I hurt my knee during filming," Annie explained nervously.

She didn't know why she felt anxious. She and Abed hadn't been doing anything in the bathroom. She placed the blame on the fact that Abed's kiss had completely rattled her.

"Really?" he asked, immediately looking at her legs. "Hey, you did. Can I see it? Does it look awesome?"

Annie rolled her eyes. "Since you asked, I'm fine, Troy." He had the grace to look sheepish. "It's a really deep gash but the bleeding stopped so I'm not going to get stitches. So, yes, you'll probably think it looks awesome. I promise to let you see it the next time I clean and wrap it."

"Cool," Troy breathed out.

While he went into the bathroom, Abed helped Annie to the living room. He settled her in his recliner before taking Troy's and turning on the TV.

"Abed?" she asked curiously.

Nobody ever sat in his recliner when he wanted to watch TV. He had run Annie off several times when she was reading and he had decided to watch a movie.

He glanced over at her and simply said, "You're hurt and you seem to like my chair best."

Then he turned back to the TV and started flipping through the channels. Annie took that as the cue that he had nothing more to say, so she reached down and let the footrest out so that she could stretch out her leg. Once it was properly positioned, she snuggled back into the cushions and breathed in the scent of Abed that clung to the chair. She wondered how awful of a person she would be if she tried to talk Abed into dumping Robin.

Because she wanted him all to herself more now than ever before.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"You lied!" Troy cried accusingly, pointing at Annie. "You told me earlier that there was nothing to keep secret about you coming out of the bathroom together but there was. Abed kissed you."

Annie flinched back from Troy. "I wasn't lying. He really did help me with my injured knee and that kiss wasn't anything like the previous ones. We chose to keep that little part to ourselves, so there _wasn't_ anything for _you_to keep secret. Anyway, all three of you helped me wrap my knee at one point or another. Abed was just the only one who kissed it each time." She sent a sweet smile at him. "That always made me happy."

"Wow, Abed," Britta exhaled in awe. "You carried her to the apartment. You held her hand while she was in pain. You wrapped her knee, and you kissed it to make her feel better every time? You really were in full hero mode. Are you sure that you weren't playing a character?"

"I am," he confirmed. "I was just being me."

Annie grinned triumphantly at the rest of her friends. "_See_. I told you he has emotions."

"You weren't doing all of that just to screw her, were you?" Pierce asked, mistrust on his face. "Because while I'm normally all for a guy doing what he's got to do to get in a girl's pants, I might have a problem when that girl's Annie. And it would be just like a brown person to lie."

"Pierce!" yelled several voices.

He scowled at them. "Fine. I retract the brown person comment, but I stand by the rest of it."

"Didn't you just say that you think they're dating?" Britta asked.

"Yeah, but what if I'm wrong? It's not like she has a dad to hire people to maim anyone that hurts her."

While Annie didn't exactly approve of his methods, she did find it heartwarming that Pierce was looking out for her in his own special way.

"Pierce, it's Abed," Shirley pointed out. "He's probably the least likely person to fake caring about Annie just to do unholy things with her."

Britta, Troy, and Annie all nodded their agreement with that statement.

"Jeff?" Pierce asked. "You used to be a douche. What do you think?"

Annie cringed. _ Really?_ Did Pierce _really _have to ask Jeff for his opinion? Jeff, who was already upset that he didn't hold Abed's role in her story? When their unofficial group leader stayed quiet, Annie just grew more anxious.

"I agree with them," he finally replied, his tone defeated. "If I have to trust someone other than myself to watch out for Annie, Abed's the best choice."

His response was touching to Annie. That was the mature side of Jeff that she, like Shirley, had always believed was there, even when he did his best to hide it.

"Thank you, Jeff," she murmured seriously, meeting his eyes. "You have no idea what it means to hear you say that."

He frowned. "I trust Abed, but you and I still need to talk when you finish your story."

She nodded, lowering her gaze to the table. Even if she wasn't off the hook, she was happy to hear that he wasn't going to hold anything against Abed. She didn't want their friendship ruined over her. Frankly, she didn't think she was worth that.

"We'll talk soon then because there's not much more left to tell now."


	11. A Massive Revelation

Spoilers: Anything up to and including the season three finale, 'Introduction to Finality'. In fact, several of the scenes in that episode's final montage will find their way into this story as I provide my own events that lead up to them.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. If I had any claim on Community, Abed would be all mine.

A/N: I'm thrilled that I finally got to this chapter. This chapter is the big one that I've had on tap since before I even started writing this story. In fact, I'm so excited about it that I stayed awake to post it even though I have to be up in six hours for work, so I hope you guys enjoy it. There's only one chapter and the epilogue left after this. As always, I'd like to thank my reviewers: WHTGR, The Alternative Source, Lucy36, phantomcat97, Peachie, anon, Bella, Jade24, silentlyloud, MarchesaLace, VividImaginationForgettingInc, and Carnivorous Flamingo. I love hearing from you on such a regular basis. It makes my efforts worth it. Please read and review! Thanks!

Chapter Eleven: A Massive Revelation

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"So the story is almost over?" Troy asked sadly. "But I like it. I'm not ready for it to be over."

Annie smiled gently at him. "It has to end sometime, Troy. There's no point in dragging it out any longer than it should be."

Crossing his arms, he leaned back in his chair and sulked. Annie tried not to chuckle because that would probably only make him mad.

"So, Annie," Britta stated, leaning forward, a strange note in her voice. "The hero thing was really working on you, huh?"

Annie felt the heat of embarrassment crawl along her entire body and up into her cheeks. It was actually kind of humiliating just how large a weakness she had for heroes. Although the more mortifying part might be the fact that all it had taken for her to see Abed as a hero was for him to carry her upstairs, hold her hand, and kiss her injured knee. For most men, those wouldn't be heroic acts, but Abed wasn't most men. His discomfort with expressing affection truly did make those heroic acts for him.

"Yes," she admitted, cheeks red. "It was definitely working. I really wanted him to be single. Like, right then. And, if I had known that he was..."

She trailed off because her thoughts had drifted into highly inappropriate areas for discussion with the group.

"When did you finally find out that Abed was single?" Shirley asked curiously.

Annie grinned. "That is an interesting tale."

ooooo

_Saturday, February 9, 2013_

"I need your help."

When Abed spoke, Annie pulled her attention away from her computer screen. She was sitting at the table, working on a paper for her psych class, her mostly healed leg stretched out to rest on the chair across from her. The apartment had been quiet all day because Troy and Britta were spending the day with his family, much to the blonde's distress. Things hadn't gone at all smoothly when she had met them on Thanksgiving (she had apparently greatly offended his stay-at-home mom), but Troy was determined to make them like her. Annie had actually been extremely amused to watch Troy drag his still-protesting girlfriend out of the apartment.

"Do you want to resume shooting?" she asked, glancing up at him where he was standing next to her chair.

Abed had placed all filming on hold until Annie's knee healed up. She was grateful for that because she had only finally stopped limping yesterday.

"No. We'll resume next weekend. I need you to help me with something else."

Her interest definitely peaked, Annie saved her paper and shut down the computer. It was getting late anyway, and she was definitely ready for a break.

"What's going on?"

"I think Starburns is alive," Abed stated with absolutely no preamble.

For a moment, Annie was too stunned to respond. All she could do was stare up at him in disbelief. He thought _what?_

"I'm sorry," she finally apologized. "But I'm pretty sure you just said that you think Starburns is alive."

"I did," he said flatly. "I saw him going into a restaurant downtown wearing the uniform. He's blonde now, though, so I'm not completely sure that it was him. I want you to come with me and tell me what you think."

Annie raised an eyebrow at him. "Isn't that the sort of thing you'd normally do with Troy?"

"He's not here," Abed replied simply.

"Okay," she agreed. That certainly made sense. "Where are we going?"

"I saw him going into that one French restaurant, Chez Paris. We leave in an hour."

When he walked away, a knot formed in Annie's stomach. Had she really just agreed to go to dinner with Abed at the nicest, most romantic restaurant in town? _No, no, not really_, she reassured herself. It was just a stakeout.

It was definitely _not_a date.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"It was a date, wasn't it?" Britta asked, excitement shining in her eyes.

"I find myself going back to the statement that it was complicated," Annie responded. "We actually were there to see if Starburns really was alive, but I eventually figured out that Abed also had an ulterior motive."

"I can't believe you took her with you! That should have been our adventure!" Troy burst out, glaring at Abed.

"As Annie said, I had an additional motive for asking her to come with me," Abed explained tonelessly.

Annie smiled gently at Troy. "Trust me, Troy. It wasn't so much an adventure as it was, well..."

ooooo

_Saturday, February 9, 2013_

Annie gazed around in awe. Chez Paris was much more luxurious than she had expected.

Although Annie had grown up as part of Greendale's upper class, she had never set foot in this restaurant before. It was her mother's favorite, so her parents had eaten here on several occasions, but they had declared that it wasn't a place for kids, not even one as well-behaved as Annie. Seeing it for herself, she had to agree with that assessment.

It was easy to see why the restaurant had appealed to her mother. It was definitely her style. For Annie, though, it was just a little too much. It seemed highly pretentious. She would have been happier going back to the Mexican restaurant that she and Abed had visited in November. However, that wasn't where Abed had seen Starburns.

Looking at the people around her, Annie felt distinctly under-dressed. Wearing a simple green sheath dress, she was obviously out of place among all of the women in expensive cocktail dresses. At least Abed, in the suit he had worn to Shirley's wedding, looked like he belonged here. As she surveyed the obviously wealthy clientele, another worry hit her.

"Abed," she hissed. "I think we need reservations."

"We have one," he replied, leading her to the maitre d's station.

Amazingly enough, just ten minutes later they were sitting at a small table for two against one of the walls, studying their menus. When Annie saw how much everything cost, she sucked in a sharp breath.

"I can't afford this place," she admitted in quiet embarrassment.

She had managed to save a bit of money while working at Shirley's sandwich shop, but her car had broken down on Tuesday and the repairs had wiped out nearly all of it. She knew that she should have considered the cost before agreeing to observe Starburns, but it simply hadn't occurred to her. She had been too excited that Abed was taking her on one of his adventures and panicked that she only had an hour to get ready. How expensive the food would be had never crossed her mind.

"I'm paying."

Abed's words had Annie shooting her head up to stare at him.

"Oh, no, Abed. You can't do that. It's far too much. You don't even have a job," she pointed out.

"Don't argue, Annie," he said.

His voice was his usual monotone, but Annie could see the determination in his eyes. For whatever reason, he clearly wanted to buy dinner for her. Annie wasn't about to turn down his generosity, but she wasn't willing to take advantage. Nibbling on her lip, she studied the menu and picked out the cheapest items.

"What can I get for you tonight?"

The sound of a familiar voice caused Annie to look up at their waiter. Although Abed had warned her, she was still shocked to see Starburns standing there. She saw the familiarity flash through his eyes before his face went blank. Since he had chosen not to acknowledge that they knew each other, she followed his lead.

"I'll just have a side salad and a glass of water," she ordered.

She felt Abed's eyes on her, but she carefully avoided looking at him as he placed his order of one of the chicken dishes.

"And bring me the escargot," he finished.

Biting back a smile as Starburns walked away, Annie couldn't help but ask, "Escargot?"

"You have to order escargot in a French restaurant," he answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Annie grinned. "Right." She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "You were right. Starburns really does work here. Why do you think he faked his death?"

She couldn't understand what would make someone take such a desperate step.

Abed's brow furrowed as he considered the question.

"Starburns was often angry because everyone called him Starburns. He even threw the first pillow of the Pillow War because the dean didn't call him Alex. I suspect that he faked his death to start over as Alex instead of Starburns."

Annie thought over his words. They actually made a surprising amount of sense. For a man who added a top hat and then a lizard to his everyday wardrobe just to draw attention away from his starburns, was faking death really all that much of a stretch?

"Since he went to so much trouble to disappear, I think we should keep this to ourselves," Annie announced.

"Okay," Abed agreed easily.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Oops," Annie muttered sheepishly.

ooooo

_Saturday, February 9, 2013_

While they waited for their food, Annie chattered about the paper that she was working on when Abed had interrupted her to invite her on his adventure.

"I know that Britta's much more experienced with psychology," Annie finished, "but I really like the class. It's just fascinating, so I can see why she picked it for her major."

As she took a sip of her water, a man stopped next to their table. Annie had noticed him wandering the room earlier with a basket in his hand. Intensely curious, she had watched him and realized that he was selling roses for the men in the room to give to their dates. She had really hoped that he wouldn't come to their table, though. She and Abed weren't on a date, so his presence would just make things awkward. She should have known that he wouldn't pass up the chance to possibly make some more money, though.

"Would you like to buy a rose for your enchanting date?" the man asked Abed while shooting a charming smile at Annie.

"Oh, we're not..." Annie started.

"Yes," Abed interrupted.

Startled, Annie was quite sure that her mouth was hanging open as she watched Abed fork over three dollars for a gorgeous red rose. When the man handed her the flower and moved on, she stared down at it for a moment before looking back up at her roommate. She was completely confused. Did he only buy her the flower because he thought it was non-optional?

"Abed?" she asked, her voice slightly shaky. "Why did you...?"

She stopped, uncertain what she wanted to ask. Wait. No. She knew exactly what she wanted to ask; she was just terrified that it was a really stupid question that would make the entire night uncomfortable. But his insistence on paying and the rose...they had gotten her thinking something that couldn't possibly be true. She struggled to keep in the words that were fighting to escape. But, just like with her questions about Robin, they burst from her without permission.

"Is this a date?"

The instant the words were out, she would have given anything to call them back. Certain that she had just ruined what had been a perfectly lovely night, Annie turned her head to focus on the flower man selling yet another rose. There was a terrible knot of unease in the pit of her stomach.

"Yes."

That word, the one word that she had longed to hear but _never _expected, made her whip her head around to him so quickly that a pain shot up the side of her neck. She didn't care, though. She just gazed at him, taking in his blank face and soft eyes with amazement.

"It is?" she asked.

She just needed to hear it again, just to make sure that she hadn't imagined it.

"Yes, Annie. This is a date," he replied, voice emotionless. "After consideration, I decided that it was the next logical step in our relationship after I broke up with Robin."

He had broken up with Robin! As Abed's words, his wonderful, wonderful words, sunk in, Annie felt a tingling warmth flood through her. He was single. She didn't know when or how it had happened, but she didn't really care at that moment. The fact that it had happened was enough for her.

"So we're really on a date?" she questioned, just to confirm what he had said.

He studied her for a moment before responding.

"I intend to kiss you at the end of the night," he answered practically.

That was good enough for her. Unable to help herself, she beamed so brightly that she was surprised he didn't have to shade his eyes. She felt like all the stress that had been pressing down on her since they had filmed their love scene had dissipated all at once. She was on a date with Abed. After that, the conversation seemed to flow smoother and Annie laughed at the slightest provocation. Even the normally flavorless lettuce of her salad tasted amazing.

After she finished, she was feeling particularly playful, so she reached out for one of Abed's escargot. Although he had inspected the tray of cooked snails when they had arrived, he hadn't eaten any of them. Annie wasn't going to eat it, either. She simply couldn't get past the idea that snails left trails of slime when they glided across the ground. No, the only reason that she had taken the snail was out of pure curiosity.

Setting it down on her plate, she stared at it in confusion. The only time she had ever seen escargot was when she had watched Pretty Woman. Aware of Abed watching her closely, she tried to remember what they had done to open the shell. Oh, yeah. Julia Roberts' character had tried to use the tongs to crack it. That hadn't worked all that well for her, but Annie was pretty sure that she would succeed since she was forewarned from watching the movie. She used the tongs to pick up the shell and squeezed in an effort to open it. Instead, just as in the movie, the shell went flying, smacking a woman at the neighboring table in the back of the head. When the woman turned around to shoot Annie a dirty look, her cheeks blazed.

"Sorry," she apologized before turning back to Abed. "They really are slippery little suckers."

Annie could tell that he immediately recognized the reference because his eyes heated up in a way that made her all tingly. He broke eye contact to pick up the check.

"Yes. I am definitely going to kiss her tonight," he muttered to himself so quietly that Annie barely heard him.

A short time later, Annie and Abed were standing in the living room of their apartment. Shifting nervously, Annie looked up at him. She didn't know why she was so anxious. Maybe it was because she knew that Abed was going to kiss her, and yes, they had kissed before, but those hadn't been preplanned like this one was. Even their kiss on New Year's had been a last minute decision. Plus, when they had kissed in the past, she had always known that it couldn't mean anything since he had a girlfriend. But now he was single, and kissing could mean something. That was a little terrifying.

"Tonight was fun. We should go out again sometime," she started chatting nervously. "Although it might be good to pick somewhere that won't have me pelting people in the back of the head with snails. I don't think Chez Paris is the best place to start an accidental food fight. I'm actually kind of surprised that they didn't kick us out immediately since that wasn't exactly appropriate behavior. But, then again, you were already paying so maybe they didn't have to kick us out."

When Abed finally swooped down and took her lips, Annie sent out a silent prayer of thanks. She knew that she was starting to look like an idiot with her incessant rambling.

She was just settling into the kiss when he pulled away, much to her disappointment.

"Good night, Annie," he said, brushing her hair back from her face.

When he entered the blanket fort, Annie headed for her bedroom. Once inside, she pulled out a pair of pajama pants and a tank top. She was a little let down. The kiss had been very sweet, but entirely too short for her tastes. She had definitely been hoping for something more along the lines of their New Year's kiss. She had accidentally reenacted a movie scene. Shouldn't that have earned her at least a few minutes of making out? The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she got. What if Abed didn't like her as much now that she wasn't the other woman? That _would _be just her luck.

As she pulled the tank top over her head, Annie frowned. Why did she have to wait for Abed to make the first move? She _had _initiated a couple of their kisses. Britta would be so disappointed in her for waiting around for him. Decision made, she pulled her bedroom door open...

...only to find Abed standing on the other side in his pajamas.

"Abed?" she asked, startled.

"It occurs to me that I neglected to follow through on all of my plans for tonight," he stated tonelessly.

"Really?"

Her heart was beating faster. _He'd had more planned?_

"Yes," he confirmed. "Would you like to attend the Valentine's Day costume dance with me? Not as friends."

Maybe it lacked the 'because I'm secretly, desperately in love with you' part, but hearing her words for Duckie come back to her definitely made her smile.

"I would like that very much," Annie accepted the invitation.

"Good."

He paused for a moment before dropping a quick kiss on her forehead and walking stiffly away. Hesitating only briefly, Annie stepped out of her bedroom, pulling the door shut behind her. She caught up to Abed at the entrance to the blanket fort. Grabbing his arm, she dragged him around to face her.

"You know, Abed, it occurs to me that I haven't yet followed through on all of my plans for the evening, either," she pointed out.

And then she grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down to her.

The instant their lips meshed, Annie could tell that she had caught Abed off guard. His body froze, his arms hanging limply to his sides. She knew him well enough to give him time to warm up before giving up, and, sure enough, mere seconds later, he wound his arms around her back. As he started to respond, warmth blossomed in Annie's stomach.

Stepping forward, she urged him backward into the blanket fort. When they reached the bunk bed, he stumbled slightly, landing on the edge of the lower bunk. The fall pulled their lips apart, but he kept his arms around her waist. Staring down into his eyes, Annie could see the uncertainty lurking there, and it occurred to her that she would have to be the aggressor. Breaking away from his arms, she gave a light push on his chest so that he would scoot. Once he had his back against the wall, she climbed onto the bed, being careful not to hit her head on the top bunk, and crawled into his lap to straddle him. As soon as she was in place, she took his lips again.

She didn't waste any time asking for entrance into his mouth, and, luckily, he didn't keep her waiting for permission. The instant her tongue touched his lips, he opened to her. Sliding her tongue against his, Annie tasted cinnamon. She wondered how he always tasted like that. Falling into the kiss, she ran her hands up his hard chest to curl her hands over his shoulders.

When Abed slid his own hands down her spine, Annie relaxed back into his grip. She didn't know why he liked her back so much, but she had missed this feeling. When he reached her lower back, she expected him to start the trail back up. She whimpered when he lowered his hands to caress her butt instead.

Wrenching her mouth from his, she gasped his name. He took immediate advantage of the freedom to drop kisses along her jawline and down her neck. Shivering, Annie was highly grateful that Abed stayed hot once she got him warmed up. In fact, she could feel him growing hard beneath her. Her core already aching and wet, she ground down against him.

He didn't make any noise, but his hips lifted beneath her and she felt his sharp exhale against her neck. Thrilled with his response, she moved against him again, and again he thrust up toward her. As she kept up the circling of her hips against his erection, she dropped her head back. It just felt so good.

Abed took one hand off her ass to slide it up her ribcage and cup her breast through her tank top. When he sucked on her collarbone and rubbed his thumb over her hardening nipple simultaneously, Annie couldn't keep from moaning. She lowered her hips against his, hard, the angle just right to hit her nerves. Needing to have nothing between them, Annie scrabbled for the bottom of his shirt.

She was just starting to pull it up when the front door slammed. Pulled from the moment, Annie's every muscle froze, as did Abed below her, his mouth still against her neck. When giggling sounded, she looked over her shoulder and watched as Troy and Britta stumbled past the blanket fort, kissing and tugging at each other's clothing. When the closing of their bedroom door sounded, Annie relaxed and let out a small laugh.

"I guess their day went well," she murmured.

When Abed shifted so that his head was tilted back against the wall, Annie knew that the interruption had officially prevented whatever might have happened between them tonight. That was a good thing, though. They couldn't have had sex, anyway. She didn't have any condoms, and something told her that Abed probably didn't keep them around since sex wasn't exactly a priority for him either. Plus, Annie wasn't even on birth control since she had never found one that didn't cause frequent migraines. Even if she had been willing to risk STDs by skipping the condom (not that she thought Abed had anything, but she wasn't about to get into the habit of taking that risk), she definitely wasn't willing to risk getting pregnant. So, yes, it was best that Troy and Britta had interrupted them when they had.

Still, she wasn't looking forward to going back to her room. Something told her that their roommates were going to be particularly loud tonight which meant no sleep for her. She should probably just climb up into the top bunk now and save herself the effort. With that thought in mind, she backed off of Abed's lap and then the bed. She smiled down at him as he shifted forward on the bed after her.

"Good night," she said, stepping toward the ladder.

Before she could climb up, Abed wrapped his hand around her wrist. Startled, she glanced back at him. His expression was soft and Annie bit her lip. When he tugged on her arm, she allowed herself to be pulled back down onto the bed. Keeping a hold on her wrist, he stretched out at the back of the bed. Annie followed his example, laying down in front of him. Freeing her arm, she rolled onto her side to face him. He immediately threw an arm over her waist and pulled her close.

Snuggling into his chest, Annie smiled. Maybe Abed wasn't very vocal during sexually charged moments, and maybe he didn't verbally express his emotions. But at least he was comfortable enough with her now to go after what he wanted.

Even if all he wanted was to hold her while they slept.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"So let me get this straight," Britta said, breaking the silence that had fallen when Annie stopped talking. "You and Abed were making out in the blanket fort when Troy and I got home and interrupted you. So you slept in Abed's bed instead. Since you won't give us the details, that's what I've taken away from this segment."

Annie nodded. "That's a pretty accurate summary."

"Oh, man," Troy moaned. "If we had just looked over as we passed, we could have found out what was going on over a month ago!"

"But then you wouldn't have had sex," Pierce pointed out, his tone making it clear that he couldn't comprehend that thought.

Troy looked torn, causing Annie, Jeff, and Britta to laugh.

"While I don't approve of the direction that I'm sure this story is headed," Shirley spoke over them, "I must admit that it was sweet that he took you out on a real date and wanted to hold you while you slept." She stared across the table at Abed. "I think I owe you an apology for calling you a robot."

"It's okay," he replied immediately, unflinching. "That is a common misconception."

"So you and Abed were together at the Valentine's Day dance?" Jeff asked, his voice curious. "You didn't seem any different."

Annie grinned sheepishly. "We discussed it before the dance and decided that we wanted to keep it quiet. We...weren't sure how you would handle it if we announced that we were on a date so soon after what had happened. So, we mostly handled the dance as just friends. But, not to get him in trouble, Andre knew differently."

ooooo

_Thursday, February 14, 2013_

"Why did the dean opt for a costume dance for Valentine's Day, again?" Britta complained, straightening her black leather jacket.

"Something about how discovering the truth behind the mask is the most romantic thing ever," Annie answered. "I'm not really sure what that means but I suspect it has something to do with his disturbing furry obsession. And, anyway, why are you complaining? You're just wearing what you always wear. That's hardly a costume."

Britta pulled a sharp piece of wood out of her pocket. "I'm Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She was a strong woman who was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She didn't need a man, although she did fall for a handful of douches over the course of the series."

"So, nothing like you then," Annie observed sarcastically.

"Hey! Troy is not a douche."

"He's not," Annie agreed. "But there were plenty who were."

Tucking the stake back into her jacket, Britta gestured at Annie. "Whatever. What are you supposed to be?"

Smoothing her hands down her waist and hips over the dark blue velvet, she replied, "I'm a lounge singer from the 40's."

In the spirit of the dance and her low bank account, Annie had raided her closet for her costume. Abed had let her keep her dress from their previous shoot. Since it was quite fancy, she had decided that it would be the perfect basis for an old-fashioned lounge singer costume. It had taken a long time to create pin curls in her hair, and she had placed a white rose behind one ear. She had chosen smoky eyeshadow and striking red lipstick. The final piece of her costume was a black lace garter high on her upper thigh. She had added it in the hope that Abed would see it later.

And maybe even take it off her.

Yes, Annie had decided that tonight was the night for her and Abed to have sex. She had even braved a drugstore well away from the GCC campus to buy condoms. She had thought that if she shopped across town, she wouldn't run into anyone. So it was just her luck that Sam, the Black Rider himself, had gotten in line behind her. After the requisite invitation to test her purchase at his place, he had immediately identified Abed as the guy the condoms were meant for. Annie had tried to deny it, but she never was a good liar. Sam proceeded to gloat over how right he had been about her paintball partner being into her just as he had told her on Halloween. When she had left, Annie had vowed to avoid that place if she needed to buy condoms again.

Annie shifted nervously. She didn't even want to know what her friends would think if they knew that she had a condom secured snugly to her inner thigh with her garter. Not that she expected to use it in public, but it never hurt to be prepared since she'd opted against bringing her purse.

"So remind me again, Annie," Britta interrupted her thoughts. "Am I dating Troy or Abed tonight?"

Annie laughed. The guys' solution to the costume element had been to dress up as each other. Troy was wearing Abed's favorite T-shirt and plaid combination while Abed had on one of Troy's T-shirts under his best friend's favorite red sweater. They had also taken on each other's personalities as best as they could when they were around other people. It was completely unnerving how well they were doing at being each other.

"You're dating Troy being Abed tonight, Britta. What's confusing about that?" she asked, still snickering.

"Did you know that the dalmatians the dean brought like to be petted?" Abed, channeling Troy's usual enthusiasm, questioned as he approached with the actual Troy.

"You didn't pet them, though, did you?"

Britta's voice was panicked. Both guys shook their heads and the girls breathed a sigh of relief.

Troy frowned. "I need a break from being you, Abed. I want to dance with Britta."

The open, happy expression on Abed's face immediately faded into his usual neutrality.

"Okay," he agreed easily.

Shortly after the other couple disappeared onto the dance floor, Abed glanced around the room before scooting close to Annie.

"I want to show you something," he announced in his normal blank voice.

Interest aroused, Annie immediately answered, "Okay."

Looking around, she saw that none of their friends were nearby and nobody else was paying attention to them, so she slipped her hand into his. He blinked at her before curling his fingers around hers and, moving close enough that they were able to keep their hands hidden between them, leading her through the crowd to a table in the corner of the room.

"Sit," he instructed.

Intrigued, Annie sat down in one of the seats facing the room and watched as Abed crawled under the table. When he emerged, he was holding two small Nerf guns and several packets of foam darts. He sat down in the chair next to hers.

"Troy and I hid these here while they were setting up in case we got bored. I don't think he'll be too angry if you use his gun," he explained matter-of-factly.

Annie snickered and held out her hand for the toy weapon. After taking a couple of minutes to load their guns, she looked over at him.

"So, is there a point system or what?"

"One point for each person you hit, two if you hit them in the back of the head, and three points if you're able to hit one of the black spots on the dean's dalmatians."

"So, do I get a two point lead for the snail last Saturday?" she asked, laughter in her voice.

"No."

Annie stuck her lower lip out in a pout, but he wouldn't be swayed. For the next ten minutes, they shot at their classmates and the faculty. Abed quickly took the lead, but Annie wasn't too far behind. She was having a blast, especially because no one caught them. It was fun to shoot people in the back of the head and then watch as they searched for the source of the hit. When Annie hit one of the dalmatians on a spot on his butt, she burst into giggles, causing Abed to observe her with amusement on his face.

"Oh, look. Shirley!" Annie exclaimed excitedly, pointing at where the other woman was dancing with her husband.

Lifting her gun, she shot one of the darts. It found it's mark, but instead of falling to the floor, it caught in her thick curls. Laughing even harder, Annie collapsed sideways into Abed. When his hand snuck under the table and behind her to caress her lower back, Annie's giggles stuck in her throat. Lifting her eyes to his, she tilted her head back and stole a quick kiss.

Abed pulled away and raised an eyebrow at Annie, gesturing with his head to the dance floor. Annie followed the nod and saw that while Shirley still had her back to them, Andre was watching them, an entertained smile on his lips. Sighing in relief because she was pretty sure that Andre already knew what was going on, Annie offered him a sheepish smile and a shrug. Straightening in her seat away from Abed, Annie glanced around the dance floor and spotted Pierce. Taking aim, she shot him on his bare arm, then watched with amusement as he scowled at the dalmatian standing near him.

"So you're the ones shooting everyone," Jeff observed, joining them.

"Yes. That's us," Abed confirmed.

Annie stayed silent. Things were still awkward between her and Jeff, although they hid it well from the rest of the group. Needless to say, she was happy for Abed's presence.

"Awe, man," Troy moaned as he and Britta arrived. "You got out the guns without telling me?"

Feeling bad for horning in on his territory and wanting to get away from Jeff, Annie handed over hers and the spare ammunition she had.

"Enjoy."

Standing up, she made her way over to Pierce who was now picking a fight with the dalmatian. She needed to split that up since it was her fault. On her way past Shirley, she stopped and plucked the dart out of her hair, offering Andre an apologetic smile.

He simply shook his head, amusement on his face.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"That was surprisingly immature of you, Annie. I expect that sort of behavior from Troy and Abed, but not you," Shirley admonished.

"You're just angry because no one told you you had a dart in your hair," Pierce pointed out, likely accurately.

"That has nothing to do with it," Shirley insisted although she averted her gaze from the older man. "I just expect better from her."

"Why?" Annie asked.

"What?" Shirley returned, blinking in confusion.

"Why do I always have to be mature? Don't misunderstand me - I want to be seen as an adult - but why can't I sometimes just have fun like everyone else? I spent my entire childhood and all of high school under pressure to be perfect and I turned to adderall just to get through it," Annie vented. "I don't want that to happen again. So, yes, sometimes I do stupid, childish things while I'm with Abed, but I like that. It's good for me. He's good for me."

Shirley stared down at the table for a moment before meeting Annie's eyes.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "It's easy to forget what you've been through since you're doing so well now."

Annie smiled gently at her. "It's okay, Shirley. I actually do appreciate that you think I'm mature enough not to shoot foam darts at people."

"So, Annie, I've been considering the dates that you gave us earlier when you were talking about all the times that you guys have hidden stuff from me," Britta inserted in an excited voice. "And I can't help but notice that your little encounter with Troy while you were wearing nothing but a T-shirt happened after the dance. So, what exactly happened between you and Abed after we got home?"

Annie's cheeks were on fire.

"Well, as you know, the guys did eventually get caught and Professor Slater kicked them out of the dance in spite of Dean Pelton's protests, so all four of us went home."

ooooo

_Thursday, February 14, 2013_

"I can't believe that she confiscated our guns," Troy complained as they all entered the apartment and kicked off their shoes.

"I know, but Slater's always been a bitch," Britta sympathized, her mouth twisting on the other woman's name. She and Slater had never come to terms over the entire Jeff thing, each blaming the other for their public humiliation. "But I know how to make you feel better."

Troy's expression perked up immediately.

"Okay! Good night, guys."

He hurried toward the bedroom, making Britta shake her head. Smiling, she too bid Annie and Abed goodnight. Once they were in their room, Annie started toward her room, Abed following her. She stopped just outside of the open door. Her nerves spiking, she clasped her hands and stared up at him. She knew that if she wanted Abed to stay with her tonight, she would have to make the first move. She wasn't sure how to make it clear what she wanted without scaring him off, though.

When he leaned down to kiss her, Annie melted into him. The longer his lips were on hers, the less her inhibitions mattered. Taking the initiative, she grabbed a fistful of sweater and backed up, hauling him into her room. Once inside, she let go of the sweater to wrap her arms around his neck instead. Tilting her head to get a better angle on the kiss, Annie opened her mouth to his seeking tongue.

When she could no longer breathe, Annie broke contact to gasp for air even as Abed slid his hands down her bare back. Goosebumps broke out on her skin at the contact and she found herself thankful that he had picked something so risque for their earlier scene. Her hunger awakened, Annie grasped the hem of his sweater and pulled it up and over his head, breaking his touch.

When she tossed the sweater on the floor, she stared up at him and saw the uncertainty on his face. In that moment, she knew that he knew exactly where this was going.

"Are you sure this is what you want, Annie?" he asked, an unsure note underlying the tightly restrained tone of his voice.

In answer, Annie circled him to shut and lock the door.

"I am very sure, Abed."

The way he was looking at her, with the barest traces of lust in his dark eyes, made Annie feel brave. Stepping forward, she undid the choker that held up her top and allowed it to fall, baring her breasts to his gaze. Pausing just two steps from him, she shimmied the rest of the way out of her dress. Stepping out of the pool of velvet, she stood in front of him in her black lace panties and matching garter.

The longer he stared at her, his head tilted to the side, the more nervous Annie felt. Had he gone catatonic? No, his eyes weren't blank like they were when that happened. She had clearly scared him, though. She should have stuck to her plan to take things really slow, easing him into each step. She certainly shouldn't have moved so quickly. Taking off her dress had been a rash decision at best, but she was just so comfortable with Abed that it had felt like a natural next move to assure him that he was exactly what she wanted.

When Abed simply continued to watch her, his eyes appraising, Annie fought the urge to cross her arms over her chest. Was she that hideous?

"Women in Hollywood movies are the standard that beauty is measured against," he finally said tonelessly, causing her heart to fall. "That is the accepted convention. Looking at you now, I believe that society needs to reconsider their standards because none of the women in Hollywood are as naturally pleasing as you are."

Working through the Abed-speak, Annie's heart leapt when she realized what he was saying. And if she was right, it was one hell of a compliment.

"You think I'm pretty?" she asked.

"Let me correct you. I think you're the standard by which beauty should be measured."

His tone was so practical, so factual, that Annie had no choice but to believe that he really thought that. He thought that she was prettier than the women who graced the covers of magazines. Her confidence back in spades, she took the final steps toward him and kissed him once again.

Her kisses were frenzied. She couldn't get enough of him and she couldn't reach enough skin. Annie was quick about pulling Troy's black T-shirt over Abed's head. With his chest bared, she could easily understand his earlier staring. He was just so beautiful. His skin was silky as it hugged the hard muscles of his chest and abs. Although mostly smooth, there was a short trail of dark hair starting below his navel and arrowing down to the top of his jeans. However, unlike Abed, Annie wasn't happy to simply look at him. Reaching out, she trailed her fingers over his chest and down the planes of his stomach.

He was every bit as firm as he looked. Leaning forward, she pressed a kiss to his collarbone even as she dipped her fingers into the curves of his abs. Abed held still while she kissed her way down his skin, relishing in the slightly salty taste of him. When she noticed that he wasn't touching her, that he was standing frozen, Annie decided that simply wouldn't work.

"I want you to touch me, Abed. Please," she added when he stiffened even more.

It took a moment for him to respond. When he finally slid his hand up her side to cup her bare breast, Annie gasped and arched into him.

For several minutes, all they did was simply explore the valleys and peaks of each other's upper bodies. Abed learned that she moaned every time he so much as brushed against the sensitive tips of her breasts, and Annie discovered that he was surprisingly ticklish right around his navel. He didn't laugh, but he squirmed every time she got anywhere near that area. Curious, she bent down to run her tongue along the ticklish spot. His only response was to thread his fingers through her hair.

Now that she was in the vicinity, Annie couldn't ignore the erection that was pressing very obviously against the front of his jeans. Popping the button, she pulled down the zipper and pushed them to the floor. Grinning at the sight of his tightie whities, which had to be the most unflattering underwear style ever, Annie hooked her fingers in the waistband and tugged them down too.

Annie eyed his hardened shaft. He was definitely more than enough for her to handle. She wasn't all that large, and if he were any bigger, she was sure that fitting him would be more work and discomfort and a lot less fun. She ran her thumb up the underside of him and over the tip. Adjusting her grip around him, she began a smooth pace.

After several moments, Annie's curiosity got the best of her, and she dipped her head down to pull him into her mouth. Lifting her eyes to his face, she watched as his eyes widened almost comically before closing. Smiling around him, she continued to smooth her tongue along his length, sucking on each upstroke. When Abed finally groaned, she felt amazingly pleased with herself.

A short time later, Abed pushed her away from him. Annie rose to her feet and took the few steps to her bed. Climbing onto it, she rolled onto her side and did her best to look seductive, but ended up laughing nervously at how ridiculous she felt posing for him.

"Why are you laughing?" Abed asked, pausing next to the bed anxiously.

Rolling onto her back, Annie shook her head. "Even when I'm naked, I still can't channel sexy, and yet all you have to do is stand there to exude it in waves. It's actually kind of hilarious."

She stopped laughing when he crawled onto the bed, bracing himself over her on his hands and knees. He stared down at her with those enchanting dark eyes of his.

"Only a truly unique woman would find a robot sexy," he admitted gruffly.

It was the first time that Annie had heard blatant emotion in his voice, instead of just hints of it. It broke her heart that the emotion was shame.

Reaching up, she ran her fingers through his silky hair.

"You're not a robot, Abed. You are a man. Never let anyone tell you otherwise," she declared sincerely, her voice serious.

Abed didn't respond, but he did lean down and kiss her. Everything he might have said was in the feel of his lips against hers and their tongues twining together. And then his lips were gone, trailing down her jaw, her neck, and her chest, stopping briefly to pay attention to each breast. When he moved his mouth along her stomach, he dipped his tongue into the indentation of her navel. As busy as his mouth was, his hands weren't idle either. One was switching between her breasts, paying equal attention to both. The other had dipped beneath the lace of her panties. Unfortunately, he touched every part of her but the one part that she needed touched most.

By the time he ran his tongue along the waistband, she was squirming on the bed under his ministrations. When he removed his hand, she let out a frustrated groan.

"Abed, please," she pleaded, rejoicing quietly when he dragged the lace off her.

Annie wasn't surprised when he spread her legs by placing a hand on each of her thighs. But when it was his warm, wet tongue that finally touched her most sensitive of nerves, she startled.

He focused on tasting her with the same single-minded intensity that he applied to his movies. And, Annie had to admit..._Oh God!_ Her hips arched off the bed as he slid a finger inside of her and he flattened his other hand on her stomach to hold her down. _Oh!_It was good to be the focus of that concentration.

When he added a second finger, Annie grabbed the blanket in her fists, ignoring the urge to grab his hair for fear of pulling it out. The ball of tension in her stomach tightened with his every move until it finally snapped and she arched off the bed, stifling a cry at the last moment by stuffing her fist against her mouth.

Annie was still shivering from the aftereffects of her orgasm when Abed pressed a kiss to her inner thigh above her garter. Looking down, she watched him slide out the condom that she had tucked there.

"You planned this," he said, meeting her eyes.

His voice was so blank that Annie worried for a brief moment that she had offended him with her presumptuousness.

"Yes," she admitted honestly.

"Planning ahead is always a smart move. It is a necessary step to plotting a successful story," he responded, tearing open the packet and quickly rolling the condom on.

His words made Annie smile. They were just so...Abed. Always thinking about the plot, even during sex. She wouldn't have him any other way. And that was the moment that the truth became startlingly clear to her.

She was in love with Abed.

She had know that she was attracted to him; she had known that she had deep feelings for him, but she had been blind to the fact that she was in love with him. That was why it hurt so much when he chose Robin. That was why she hadn't felt any hesitation to strip down in front of him. That was why hearing him talk about planning and stories during sex didn't pull her out of the moment, but instead made it more enjoyable.

It was because she loved him and his quirks and probably had since at least paintball, if not before.

She was still coming to terms with this new revelation when he settled between her legs and thrust forward, filling her in one smooth stoke. She whimpered at the sudden invasion, and Abed stilled.

"I'm sorry. That was too fast," he muttered.

In truth, it was. He was fairly sizable and, as wet as she was, she hadn't had time to get used to him before she was filled to the hilt with him. However, she didn't want to ruin the moment and she was quickly getting accommodated to him. So to avoid answering, she grabbed the back of his head and pulled his lips down to hers. Mere seconds later, she was desperate for him to move, so she arched her hips against him.

He took the hint and started up a lazy pace, and for a couple of minutes that was sufficient for Annie. She was still getting used to his size and the friction was delicious. But eventually the slow pace wasn't enough. Gripping his shoulders, Annie wrapped her legs around Abed's hips and urged him to pick up the pace.

The change in angle of their new position meant that he was hitting a very responsive spot inside of her, and Annie could feel the tension coiling in the pit of her stomach again. Abed's strokes had grown more erratic, a sure sign that he was also close. With that thought in mind, Annie slid one hand from his shoulder down to where they were joined. Rubbing the nerves there, she let her eyes drift shut so that she could focus on the feelings.

"Look at me."

Abed's rough demand had her opening her eyes to stare into his dark ones. The myriad of emotions she saw there, pure and unvarnished, familiar and yet wholly unfamiliar on him, pushed her over the edge. She kissed him desperately as she was once more reduced to a shaking, quivering mass of nerves. When she felt him stiffen and then quake above her, she knew that he too had reached the limits of what he could take.

When he stopped moving, Abed pulled out of her and rolled to the side. She was a little surprised when, after removing and disposing of the condom in the trashcan under her nightstand, he immediately gathered her into his arms and buried his face in her hair. She shouldn't have been, though, given that the two times she had shared a bed with him previously, she had woken up to find herself completely entangled in him. The knowledge that Abed Nadir, the man that everyone saw as an emotionless robot, was actually a cuddler, even after sex, was endearing.

She felt him brush a kiss against the crown of her head before his breathing evened out as he fell asleep. Toeing off the uncomfortable garter carefully so that she wouldn't wake him, Annie smiled.

Yes, Abed was definitely a man.

Several hours later, Annie woke up. She really needed to use the bathroom, and it was early enough that no one else would be up yet. Picking up Abed's (well, Troy's) shirt from her floor, she slipped it on and hurried out. When she reached the bathroom, the door opened and bottomless Annie was faced with nude Troy. They both yelped and averted their gazes, Annie covering her eyes. They spoke at the same time.

"Don't tell Britta."

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Annie!"

Britta's loud shout brought Annie out of the wonderful memories of her first time with Abed.

"What?" she asked.

Britta gave her a sly grin. "I was going to ask what happened after you and Abed went into your room, but I think the distinctly satisfied smile on your face says it all."

"You two boned!" Pierce exclaimed, pointing at them.

"We all got that, Pierce. You didn't need to say it," Jeff said, his tone slightly sulky.

"So, _that's _why you were in my shirt when we ran into each other that night," Troy mused with realization. "If I hadn't been so busy trying not to think about you wearing no pants, I would have figured that out a lot sooner."

Troy quickly recognized the implications of what he had said because he sent Britta a guilty look. Her expression was understanding.

"Troy, you're a man, and I know that your base instinct is to think about women naked," she explained in an indulgent tone before her voice sharpened. "But just remember that you have a girlfriend and Annie is your best friend's girlfriend."

Gulping, Troy nodded.

"Anyway," Annie stated in an effort to take everyone off of the very uncomfortable topic of Troy thinking about her naked. "That's really all there is to my story. Abed and I have been together for the last month and a half. I'm sorry that we didn't tell you before, but he was worried about disrupting the group dynamics and I just wanted to relish being with him after the months of struggle to get there. Now you know all of my secrets."

"Do we really?" Britta asked, her tone sharp.

Annie shifted guiltily. They couldn't possibly know...no. There was no way they could. She hadn't told anyone yet.

"Oh, no," Shirley breathed in horror as she watched Annie. "Troy was telling the truth. I was too late with my warning. I had been praying that he had misunderstood."

Annie could feel the color drain from her face. Troy? But how could he know? Nausea rising, she decided to just ask.

"What are you two talking about?"

The others all glanced at each other, except for Abed who kept his unflinching gaze on Annie, but it was Britta who finally answered.

"The baby, Annie. What about the baby?"

A/N 2: I'll be honest. The above revelation is what this story has been building up to the entire time (if you look back at other chapters, you'll even find tiny hints here and there that it was coming). It was the moment that I've had planned since I first conceived of the story. I'm sure there will be some who are disappointed, but I'm personally thrilled to have finally gotten to type those words.


	12. Tying Up the Loose Ends

Spoilers: Anything up to and including the season three finale, 'Introduction to Finality'. In fact, several of the scenes in that episode's final montage will find their way into this story as I provide my own events that lead up to them.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. If I had any claim on Community, Abed would be all mine.

A/N: Okay. So this is the last chapter of the main story. I could actually end it here, but I want to include an epilogue for you guys. I'm not sure when I'll have that up, but it shouldn't take too long to write it since it will probably be shorter than the rest of the chapters. If this one isn't that great, I apologize in advance. It's mostly about wrapping up the story's loose ends. Plus, I've been fighting low inspiration for a while now, but I was determined to finish this story before starting on my next idea. On a happy note, this is officially the longest fanfiction I've ever written, word-wise. As always, I'd like to thank my reviewers, especially since the number has dropped drastically over the past couple of chapters: phantomcat97, tnelson123, The Alternative Source, uscchr, Elvaralind, Jade, Lucy36, chairlampdesk, MarchesaLace, Kid in a Corner, and The Poet's Muse. I love hearing from all of you. Your words help me continue to write even when I'm completely uninspired. Please read and review! Thanks!

Chapter Twelve: Tying Up the Loose Ends

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"How do you know about that?" Annie asked, panic rising.

She was fighting back nausea that was completely unrelated to her first trimester pregnancy. They knew? She hadn't even told Abed yet, so how could they already know?

"That's not the important question right now," Britta pointed out, leaning forward intently. "The most vital issue right now is the father's identity. Because I was sure it was Jeff earlier today, but in light of your story, I just don't know anymore."

With those words, Annie realized that she was going to have to tell the group what really happened when she went home with Jeff. She had hoped to keep that secret and leave his reputation intact, but clearing him of blame as the father was more important. Still, it made her a little nervous because she had never actually discussed what happened that night with him. She turned to her friend and former paramour.

"Is it okay if I tell them what happened that night?" she asked, her tone apologetic. "Because I don't see any other choice in the matter."

He hesitated a moment before nodding.

Abed and Jeff were the only ones who knew what she was about to tell the others. It obviously wouldn't be news to Jeff because he had lived it. And Abed knew because Annie had broken down and told him the truth a couple of weeks ago when she noticed how uncomfortable he seemed when she was near Jeff. She hadn't wanted any of his old thoughts about her storyline reemerging and affecting their new relationship. Taking a deep breath, Annie glanced at each of her friends.

"I did lie to all of you at one point during the story," she admitted. "I remember perfectly well what happened the night I went home with Jeff."

ooooo

_Sunday, January 20, 2013_

"I've waited a long time for this, Annie," Jeff muttered quietly, leaning over to trail kisses down her neck.

Unable to say the same thing since she had long ago given up on Jeff and moved on, Annie squirmed guiltily. Luckily he took that as a sign of arousal because he nibbled on the spot that he was kissing when she moved before continuing on. Annie closed her eyes in the hopes that she could fall into what was happening, but instead she saw Abed. The thought that he could be doing this very same thing with Robin at this very moment entered her mind.

Annie gasped as tears filled her eyes. She couldn't do this with Jeff. Not when she wanted Abed. Not when she cared about him so much that the thought of him with Robin was enough to make her cry. It wouldn't be fair to anyone, not Abed, not her, and _especially _not Jeff.

As Jeff pressed a kiss to the upper curve of her breast, Annie fought the urge to shove him off of her. She wondered if she had given her unhappiness away somehow when his head came to rest heavily on her chest.

"Jeff?" Annie asked.

When he didn't respond, she shook his shoulder. He still didn't answer, although his body moved limply under her grasp. A little scared, Annie pushed him off her and onto his back. Sitting up, she looked down at him and saw that his eyes were closed. Although she was sure that he was just passed out, she searched out his pulse. It was strong and steady under her fingers.

So, apparently Jeff had simply drunk too much. She hadn't known that it was even possible for him to pass out given his experience with alcohol. Then again, he'd had a lot to drink before she kissed him the first time that night and then even more after. Obviously he had simply reached his limit at some point. Sighing, Annie rolled her friend onto his stomach, just in case, and pulled the blankets over him.

Annie took inventory of her feelings. While she was relieved that she wouldn't have to follow through on having sex with him, she was also a little upset. The fact that he could pass out when they were making out wasn't at all flattering. She had known that she wasn't able to channel sexy, but was she really so unappealing? She must be if Jeff couldn't follow through with her despite his Winger guarantee. Logically, she knew that the alcohol was to blame, but on an emotional level, this just confirmed that there was something wrong with her.

This night hadn't turned out at all like she wanted. Not only was Abed probably consummating his relationship with Robin, but she had bored Jeff so badly that he had passed out.

Curled in a tight ball on the edge of the bed farthest from Jeff, Annie cried herself to sleep.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"So Jeff and I never actually...well, you know," Annie concluded. "There is absolutely no way that he could be the father of my baby. Honestly, I'm surprised that he didn't tell you himself."

Frowning, she considered her own words. Why hadn't Jeff told them? If there was one time when she would expect him to willingly take a hit to his reputation, it was when he was being falsely accused of getting someone pregnant.

As she thought about it, something confusing that he had said earlier came back to her.

_'Besides, it's not like I can go anywhere now, is it?'_

Looking back with her new knowledge that the study group had known about the baby all afternoon, that sentence almost sounded as if Jeff had thought that he was the father. But how could that be? Unless...

"Jeff," she addressed him, brow creased in thought. "I remember that night clearly, but do you?"

His fingers stilled on his phone and he scowled.

"No," he finally admitted reluctantly. "I remember taking your shirt off, but after that things are fuzzy for a little bit and then there's just nothing. When I woke up without my underwear and you were still in my bedroom, I just immediately assumed that we'd had sex. The Winger guarantee is one hundred percent. So when Troy told us that you were pregnant, I thought that it was my fault. I didn't know that you and Abed had slept together, but I thought that you and I had."

"Honestly, Jeff, I don't know what happened to your, um, underwear," Annie admitted, cheeks blazing. "You must have gotten hot and kicked them off or something. I was shocked when you didn't have them on when you got out of bed later that morning."

"So we didn't have sex?" he asked.

"No, we didn't," Annie confirmed.

"I'm not going to be a dad," he breathed out, the relief in his tone stark.

"No, you're not," she verified.

"That's enough of a miracle to almost make me believe that God is real," Jeff said, ignoring Shirley's annoyed huff.

"Then that means..."

Britta trailed off, turning her gaze on Abed.

"Dude," Troy uttered in awe, also looking at his best friend. "You're gonna be a dad."

"Yes, I am," he acknowledged.

Although his tone was normal, Annie could read the combination of fear and uncertainty in his eyes. She really wished that she had been able to break the news to him privately. Speaking of which...

"Now will someone tell me how you found out that I'm pregnant?" Annie questioned forcefully.

After her long story to tell them the truth about everything, she felt that she at least deserved to know why she had even had to tell her story in the first place.

"I will," Abed volunteered.

ooooo

_Present Day, Friday, March 29, 2013_

When Annie walked quickly out of the study room, Abed tried not to frown. He had noticed that his girlfriend's health had declined over the last couple of weeks. She was often pale and a little shaky, and on two separate occasions, she had woken him up in the middle of the night while escaping their bed. He had followed her the last time to find that she was throwing up. He had left her alone because if she had wanted his help, she would have asked.

After she had fallen asleep in their religion class the previous day, something that was so out of character for her that it would be a jump-the-shark moment in a sitcom, Abed knew that he would have to find a way to make her go to the doctor. He didn't like doctors, but he wasn't willing to take a chance with Annie's health.

When Troy got up and walked around to Shirley's chair so that he could help her with a question about the stages of Ross and Rachel's relationship on Friends, Abed allowed his attention to drift. In his avoidance of all medical care, he had become well-versed in various maladies. Searching his memory, he picked out the ones that involved nausea, vomiting, and extreme exhaustion. Several came to mind, some obscure and others much more common.

Annie's illness had an unusual element to it, however. She often seemed perfectly fine, and the nausea seemed to be triggered by certain smells on some occasions and nothing at all on others. Her ailment wasn't following a predictable course, and Abed could admit to an unusual amount of frustration with that. He didn't like it when he was unable to understand what was happening around him. It was why he often avoided typical emotional entanglements. If he hadn't allowed himself to acquire a romantic plot with Annie, he wouldn't be invested in her and, thus, wouldn't be as concerned about her strange symptoms.

Given the ongoing and curious nature of her sickness, Abed did know one condition that would fit well. If Annie was pregnant, it would explain all of her symptoms. The only reason he discounted that as a cause was because they had been extremely careful. Since Annie wasn't on birth control due to other medical issues, they had used a condom every time. Staring down at his textbook, eyes unfocused, Abed considered the statistics. Even with perfect use, condoms failed two to three percent of the time. He hadn't noticed a failure, but if there had been an imperceptible defect in one of the condoms, it was possible that Annie could be pregnant.

He wished that he had continued to track her menstrual cycle, but she had found the notebook where he had recorded the information. She told him that it was gross and asked him to stop. Since Annie was better versed in accepted social conventions, he had thrown the notebook away and stopped watching for the signs that she was about to become more emotional than usual. He shouldn't worry, though. The odds of them being part of that two to three percent, given the sheer number of people who used condoms every year, were far too astronomical to be even remotely possible.

When Annie's ringtone sounded, Abed looked up. Troy, who was still standing next to Shirley, answered Annie's phone. Abed knew that Annie wouldn't approve, but he also knew that Troy was far too curious to let it ring. So, it was highly in character for him to answer in spite of Annie's frequent admonishments not to touch her personal effects.

"Hello," Troy answered. He listened for a moment and then said, "She's not here right now, but I'm her roommate. Can I take a message?"

Abed turned his attention back to the lesson on 90's sitcoms. As long as Troy took a message, Annie probably wouldn't be too angry. That was initially her main complaint about his best friend answering her phone. Troy had never told her about the calls that she received until it was too late and she had already missed the test that had been rescheduled or gone to the class that was cancelled.

"Guys."

Troy's tone was outside of his norm, so Abed looked up and tilted his head to study his friend. The other man looked upset and he had tears in his eyes. The tightness with which he clutched Annie's phone was a clear warning sign that something was wrong. Abed's heart beat picked up. It felt unpleasant unlike when it increased when he was kissing Annie. He wondered at the strength of his fear for her.

"Annie's pregnant."

The words echoed through Abed's brain. Surely this was a perfect sitcom scenario. Just as he talked himself out of the worry that Annie was pregnant, he learned that she was, in fact, pregnant. If he was watching it on TV, he would find it an interesting plot twist, one that would lead to comedic situations for the leads as they acclimated to the changes that a baby would place on their life and relationship.

So why didn't he feel like laughing?

A loud yell followed by a thump caught his attention. Focusing through the haze that threatened to descend on his brain, he saw that Britta had tackled Jeff out of his chair and was punching him. Abed watched as Shirley picked up her purse and rushed over to help the psych major. Yes, both of those reactions were on plot. Although Annie had told Abed the truth, Britta still believed that Jeff and Annie had sex. Since Britta didn't know that he had a physical relationship with Annie, she would automatically assume that the older man was the father. Shirley was intelligent enough to understand the implications of Britta's attack, so it was only logical that she would join Britta in her efforts. However, they both had it wrong. Abed was the one they should strike for impregnating Annie, because he was definitely the father of her baby.

He was going to be a father.

As the full weight of those words pressed down on him, Abed uncharacteristically missed a step in his stress routine.

He skipped right over alarmed wailing and descended into the peaceful blankness of catatonia.

ooooo

_Study Room  
Present Day_

"Troy, this is very important," Annie said after Abed finished his story. "Who was on the phone and what exactly did they say?"

If her doctor had so openly shared her medical information with someone who wasn't her, she would...well, she wouldn't sue because she was broke. But she would find a different doctor to handle her pregnancy.

"It was some woman. She said that they can fit you in for a sonogram at ten on April twelfth," he replied. "I'm sorry that I took so long to give you the message."

She sighed with relief. That wasn't so bad. "This is precisely why I don't want you answering my phone, Troy. You are aware that a sonogram could have been for anything, right?"

He frowned. "I didn't really think about that. I heard the word and I immediately thought baby."

"Well, you were right this time. I am pregnant," Annie confirmed. "Still, you should have asked me first instead of jumping to conclusions. And you definitely should have told me before you told everyone else what you thought."

"I'm sorry," he apologized, hanging his head.

"How are you doing with all of this, Annie?" Britta asked, her expression sympathetic. "This wasn't something that you had planned, was it?"

Annie shook her head. "No, we definitely didn't plan this. Honestly, I don't even know how it happened. We were so careful."

"Condoms have a very low rate of failure even when used perfectly," Abed announced realistically. "Since we never experienced an obvious failure, it is possible that we simply had a factory defect."

Annie blushed deeply at his frank discussion of their birth control method. "So, essentially, I'm not one hundred percent sure how or when it happened. I only found out myself this morning when I went to the doctor. She scheduled the sonogram to help determine how far along I am. She said that by mid-April, she should be able to see the baby and figure it out since I should be somewhere between my fourth and eighth week based on the information that I gave her."

"Have you considered your options?" Britta questioned in a serious tone.

Annie frowned. "That's really a conversation that I need to have with Abed."

"Just remember that abortion is never the right choice," Shirley declared urgently. "Even if you don't want the baby, you should opt for adoption."

Annie refrained from rolling her eyes. Although she knew that she could never abort Abed's baby, even if he asked her to in a shocking twist (she really wasn't expecting _that _response from him), she fully supported a woman's right to choose. Besides, not everyone was meant to be a parent. However, she decided to keep quiet. She didn't want to stir up a debate between Shirley and Britta. That was something that would definitely get out of hand.

"I'm gonna be an uncle!" Troy shouted, lightening the mood considerably as everyone started laughing.

"Yes, you are," Annie agreed easily.

If anyone deserved that title, it was Troy.

"Are you done with your story, Annie?" Shirley questioned, closing the textbook that was sitting open in front of her the entire time.

"Yes. There's nothing more to tell."

The older woman pushed her book into her bag and stood up.

"Then I think it's time that we call it a night. You and Abed clearly have a lot to discuss and I need to get home and check the boys' homework. Good night, everyone."

As she exited stiffly, visibly upset by the situation that Annie and Abed were in, the rest of them started to gather their things. Troy dropped Annie's phone, which he'd had the entire story, on the table in front of her before following Britta out, talking excitedly about all the things he was going to teach the baby. Pierce paused next to Abed's chair on his way to the door.

"Just a reminder, but if you hurt Annie, I know people who will do things for money, money that I am more than willing to spend to protect her," he threatened, his voice surprisingly serious. "So don't make her cry."

Annie gaped after him as he left the room. That certainly wasn't something that she had expected out of Pierce, although she probably should have since he'd already made that threat twice today. She hadn't realized that he cared so much about her. He clearly wasn't lying when he called her his favorite.

Abed took the threat stoically, his expression unchanged. Standing up, he looked at Annie, who was still packing her books into her backpack, and Jeff, who was texting.

"I'll let you two talk. I'll be in the cafeteria when you're ready, Annie."

As soon as Abed was gone, Jeff set down his phone and looked over at Annie. An extremely awkward silence fell between them. She wasn't sure where to start. She had been so horrible to him in her attempt to use him when she knew that he had feelings for her. Finally, she decided to simply start with what she owed him.

"Again, Jeff, I want to say how sorry I am for using you. You didn't deserve that," she said earnestly. "But I really do consider you one of my best friends, even if that makes the way I treated you even more awful."

He frowned and was quiet for several minutes before speaking.

"Did you know that I looked for my dad this year?"

Annie gasped. That was such a big step for him. Why hadn't he told her? She could understand why he wouldn't have said anything recently, but she was surprised that he hadn't said anything before their friendship had gotten awkward.

"I didn't have a clue," she admitted. "Did you find him?"

Jeff scowled. "I found his last known location before he apparently just completely disappeared. After several years of moving around, he wound up in Aspen, where he remarried. Unsurprisingly, he ditched that woman too. But before he took off, he knocked her up. I have a sixteen year-old sister, and that was not something that I expected to find."

Annie was shocked. That was not one of the scenarios that she would have expected either. She wondered what all of this had to do with their situation. Before she could ask, Jeff continued.

"You once told me that you wanted someone to love you. It's obvious now that you started that search with Troy and then me. What we had could have turned into love, but I was too scared of what everyone else would think to make a move. So you got tired of waiting and eventually found Abed. Looking at it objectively, I can see that now. I also know that you weren't expecting to find him any more than I was expecting to find Alyssa," he explained, his voice thoughtful. "But sometimes it's the things that we aren't looking for that are the best for us. Over the last few months, I've learned that Alyssa's pretty damn awesome. And you're in love with Abed."

Hearing him say those words in such a matter-of-fact manner was strange. Annie hadn't told anyone that she loved Abed, yet. Even with Shirley, she had only admitted to having real feelings for him. And the fact that it was Jeff being so up front about the subject made it doubly weird, given their history. She realized that he was watching her, clearly waiting for a response.

Blushing, Annie nodded. "I am, but I haven't actually told him yet. So, are you really okay with him and I being together?"

Jeff sighed in a very uncharacteristic manner, slouching in his chair. "I'm not going to lie and say I'm happy that you picked him over me. I still have feelings for you and it'll take time to get over them. But if you're happy..." He shrugged and then grinned slyly at her. "Of course, the fact that you're pregnant does go a long way toward making me hate that you picked him a little less. I definitely don't want kids anytime soon, if ever. So knowing that it's Abed who will now be tied down by some squalling, pooping infant is a relief."

Annie rolled her eyes. "Thanks a lot, Jeff."

His expression turned serious again. "I know Britta asked already, but how are you handling the news?"

"I'm a little shocked and panicked. Really freaking shocked, actually. We were just so careful. It couldn't have been user failure; we would have noticed that. If I had the money, I think I would sue the condom company," she admitted, lowering her voice before lifting back to her normal tone. "I think that I'll be happy, though, once the shock wears off. Still panicked because there's so much to do, but also happy."

She paused. She wasn't sure if Jeff was the right person to reveal her main worry to, but Britta wasn't here, and she hadn't wanted to talk about it with Abed around. Taking a deep breath, she voiced her concern.

"I'm terrified about what Abed will say. I've been worried since I left the doctor's office. Telling my story took my mind off of it for a little bit, but now that it's over, my stomach is all knotted up again. It's making me nauseous, and I've already had a rough time with morning sickness, so I really don't need any help in that area."

When Jeff met her gaze, his expression was surprisingly soft and reassuring.

"It's Abed, Annie. I think the worst you have to worry about is the list of movie and TV reenactments he'll want to shoot with the baby and talking him out of naming the kid Bruce Wayne. Hope for a girl so that you don't have to fight him on that."

Annie let out the breath she hadn't know she was holding along with a small chuckle. That actually did sound a lot like something that Abed would do.

"I really hope you're right." Standing, she pulled her backpack over her shoulders. "So, are we good, Jeff?"

He tilted his head back to stare up at her, even as he picked his phone back up. "Not completely yet, but give me some time and we will be."

Understanding that was as good as she could hope for, Annie offered him a small smile and a goodnight as she exited the study room.

One serious conversation down; one to go.

ooooo

_Greendale Cafeteria  
Present Day_

When Annie entered the cafeteria, she spotted Abed sitting at the sandwich shop's counter, hunched over a notebook. Checking the clock, she saw that telling her story had taken her a good three hours. It was already six, and the sandwich shop was shut down since she was an hour late for her shift. Annie trusted that Shirley would forgive her for that since they were together. She hurried over to the sandwich shop and dropped her bag behind the counter.

After a half hour of helping hungry students who had apparently just been waiting for her to open up, Annie moved down the counter to where Abed was sitting. Still writing feverishly, he didn't even look up when she stopped in front of him.

"Abed?" she asked to get his attention.

Apparently oblivious to her, he turned the page and just kept scribbling. She frowned and tried his name again. When he still didn't answer, she reached out and put her hand on his arm. She felt him startle slightly under her grip before he looked up at her.

"Annie? When did you get here?"

She smiled. "I've been working here for about thirty minutes now. I'm surprised that you didn't notice. That doesn't seem very in character of you, Abed."

He blinked up at her. "I was processing the new developments." He held the notebook up for her to see. "I have recorded the most pertinent details and my observations on the many ways to handle them."

Amused, because that was completely in character, Annie leaned her elbows on the counter and rested her chin on her threaded fingers.

"And what have you come up with?"

"There are three ways that we can handle the baby. We could choose abortion, adoption, or we could raise it ourselves," he listed. "I discounted abortion because I don't want that and it would be out of character for you to choose that scenario. So that leaves adoption and raising the baby. I weighed the pros and cons of both. Adoption is by far the easiest of the two options, but raising the baby, while much more difficult, also has the potential of much greater reward."

While Annie considered his words, her heart picked up. Was he saying what she thought?

"You want to keep the baby?" she asked. She really hoped so because that was what she was already leaning toward.

"You said that all it takes to be a good parent is willingness to learn, love, and a lot of patience. You said that you think I have all three of those things, but I don't. I don't know how to love, not really. I'm not even sure what it is, although I suspect that it might have something to do with the way my heart skips a beat when you smile. But I'm willing to learn about love and how to be a good parent, and I think you could teach me. Because you really do have all three of those things."

Annie was startled by how earnest his voice and his gaze both were. For once, she felt like Abed was expressing his feelings without relying on TV and movies for help.

"Are you sure about this, Abed? Like you said, it won't be easy."

Uncertainty filled his eyes. "Yes, I'm sure. Why? Do you want to choose a different scenario?" He flipped back a page in his notebook and stared down at it. "Because I've considered all of the angles. I know that our main obstacle is income, but you have a job and I'll get one. Plus, we'll graduate soon. I'll have my double degree in film and business, so I can start taking over at my father's falafel restaurant and work on freelance film projects during the weekends. That will help with our money issues."

Thoughtfully, Annie added, "With my degree, I can probably get hired on at the hospital, even if it's just in an entry-level office position." She nodded, focusing back on her boyfriend. "You're right. It won't be easy, but I really do think that we can make it work, Abed. If we really want to. After all, people without college degrees do it all the time."

For the first time, Annie was able to think about the baby without panicking. She knew that it was only temporary and her tranquility wouldn't last for very long. But at least one of her largest worries had been calmed. In spite of his earlier catatonic state, Abed wasn't freaking out. He was actually handling all of this better than her. And he was pushing to keep the baby, which she hadn't exactly expected. Honestly, she hadn't thought that he'd express an opinion one way or the other. She had thought that he'd just let her do whatever she wanted. Breathing out, Annie felt the knot in her stomach unwind. She was so happy that he did have an opinion and that he was openly expressing it. If he wanted their baby enough to convince her that they could handle it, then surely that meant he had feelings for her too, right? That he was invested in her for more than just sex and friendship?

She wanted to say more, but Garrett came up to order his usual sandwich, so Annie had to help him instead. After listening to him talk about the new child in the daycare center, she sent him on his way and headed back over to Abed, who was writing again. She simply gazed at him for a moment. His face was mostly relaxed although his brow was furrowed in concentration. She could see the determination in his dark eyes, and she suddenly grasped that he was going to approach parenting with the same intensity that he dedicated to his movies. Amazed, she dropped her hand to her still-flat abdomen where their baby rested. Seeing his resolve, she couldn't hold her feelings in anymore.

Leaning over the counter, she cupped his cheeks and lifted his head from his work. She pressed her lips to his, and poured as much of her feelings into the kiss as she could. It was sweet and heart-stopping all at once, especially when he ran his thumb across her cheekbone. After a few moments, Annie pulled back.

"Love isn't something that I can teach you, Abed, but I can tell you what it feels like for me. It's in the way I think about you even when you're not around. It's how anytime something interesting happens, good or bad, I can't wait to tell you about it." She grinned. "Love is what makes my heart beat faster when you look at me, and why I can't sleep in my own bed anymore unless you're there too. It's a million little actions and feelings that I'll never be able to describe because they're indescribable. But mostly, it's being able to say I love you, without expecting or needing you to say it back. Because I do. I love you, Abed."

Amazingly, she was telling the complete truth. Even after all of her searching for someone who would love her, it didn't matter if Abed didn't say the words back; it didn't even matter all that much if he returned her feelings. Simply telling him how she felt was a complete relief. And, no matter how he felt about her, he deserved to know that she loved him. Plus, she was fairly certain that even if he didn't love her now, he was well on his way there based on his argument for raising the baby and his statement about his heart skipping.

He had his head tilted to one side as he stared at her. His eyes scanned her face intently, and she struggled not to squirm under the perusal. When his gaze finally stopped on hers, she bit back a sigh of relief.

"I would jump in front of a cab for you," he said, his voice expressionless. "If it meant I could save you."

Annie was careful to keep her face blank. She didn't want to scare him when he was actually opening up, but she wasn't sure what he was talking about. She mulled over his words silently for a moment, and then she understood where he was coming from as her own words, spoken months ago, echoed back to her over time and space.

_"Abed, can you imagine being so deeply loved that someone would give their life for yours without hesitation? I think I'd like to be loved that much some day. I wouldn't want my story to end so tragically, but to know that someone loved me so profoundly...that would be wonderful...it's not the dying part that's romantic. It's the fact that he would love me enough to risk it."_

"Is that love, Annie?" he asked, bringing her back to the present, his eyes showing his uncertainty. "You made it sound like it's love after we watched Cruel Intentions. If it is, then I think that I love you."

Annie blinked back tears. She hadn't expected a confession from him. She really hadn't.

"Are you okay? Why are you crying? Did I say the wrong thing?" Abed questioned, fear creeping into his tone. "I didn't mean to make you sad. I just wanted to know the answer."

"These are happy tears," she reassured him with a watery smile. "And I can't tell you that you love me, but if you think you do, then you might."

He hummed in consideration before giving a sharp nod.

"I do love you, then. That is the most logical explanation for all of the physical symptoms that you trigger and the fact that I wouldn't hesitate to give my life to save you."

Unable to help herself, Annie pulled him into another kiss, this one deeper and longer than the last. They didn't split up until the sound of a throat clearing interrupted them. Jumping back guiltily, she turned her head toward the sound to find Britta and Troy standing there staring at them.

"We thought we'd have dinner here tonight," the blonde announced, her tone amused. "So I take it you guys worked everything out?"

Wiping the residual dampness from her cheeks, Annie nodded. "We're going to keep the baby and raise it ourselves."

"I thought as much," Britta said, taking the other barstool.

"That's good, though, right?" Troy asked before adding in confusion, "So why are you crying?"

"They're happy tears. Annie and I just confessed our love," Abed announced matter-of-factly.

"Really?"

Annie nodded, a blinding smile on her lips.

Britta returned it and Troy burst into noisy tears.

"Troy?" Annie exclaimed, caught off guard.

"I'm just so happy!"

Annie shook her head, her smile back. Apparently Troy knew all about happy tears too.

And how could she argue against those?

A/N 2: There we go. The main part of the story is completed. All that's left is the epilogue, which will probably be shorter than any of the other chapters. Thanks for reading and please review!


	13. Epilogue

Spoilers: Anything up to and including the season three finale, 'Introduction to Finality'. In fact, several of the scenes in that episode's final montage will find their way into this story as I provide my own events that lead up to them.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. If I had any claim on Community, Abed would be all mine.

A/N: This is the very final segment of this story. I'd like to thank everyone who read and reviewed over the course of the story. You guys are awesome! I would also like to let you all know that I will be starting a new Annie/Abed story. I'm not sure how soon I'll have the first chapter posted, but I'd definitely love everyone to check it out once it's up. As always, I'd like to thank my reviewers: Lucy36, phantomcat97, chairlampdesk, Tenten32321, Jade, The Alternative Source, The Poet's Muse, serotonic, tnelson123, uscchr, Kid in a Corner, Anonymous (I have received a shocking number of requests to write a Troy/Britta fic, but currently have no plans to because I don't have any ideas for one), Mr. High-and-Almighty, MC-Aitlyn, gedankenzug, MarchesaLace, XcrazyrandomhappenstanceX, and MorganEnjoysFanfiction. You guys and my other reviewers throughout the length of the story kept me going even when my inspiration was at its lowest point. Please read and review! Thanks!

Chapter Thirteen: Epilogue

_Saturday, November 16, 2013, 7:05 AM_

"If I can't have a hashbrown, neither can anyone else!" Annie declared, glaring at her friends before focusing on Pierce. "Seriously. Take it outside."

Grumbling under his breath about bitchy women, the older man left the hospital room, a McDonald's bag clutched in his hand. As the aroma of the fried potato disappeared, Annie sighed in relief. She was hungry, but her doctor kept telling her that she couldn't eat. Even though she had read several websites in her preparation that said eating was perfectly fine as long as she stuck to light foods.

Of course, what her doctor overlooked was that Annie had a lot of friends helping her through her labor.

"Britta, guard the door. Jeff, hand me my apple sauce," Annie directed her friends.

The instant he handed her the small plastic container and disposable spoon, Annie dug into the strawberry applesauce that she had packed in her overnight bag. She was glad that she had brought the snack. After seven hours of labor that had gotten intense enough to come to the hospital in the middle of the night, she needed the energy. Plus, she had read that eating something light might even decrease how long her labor lasted.

While she ate her applesauce and enjoyed the effects of her epidural, Annie stared around at her friends. Britta was at the door, as instructed, keeping an eye out for Annie's Nazi of a doctor. Jeff was sitting in one of the chairs next to her bed, playing games on his phone whenever he wasn't idly flipping through the channels on the TV. The chair next to him was empty since Pierce had been banished into the hallway for tempting Annie with food that she couldn't eat. By far the most interesting sight was that of Troy and Abed. Her boyfriend was in a chair on the other side of the bed, completely catatonic, with Troy leaning over and whispering to him in an effort to pull him out of it. She had known that he didn't like doctors or medical procedures, but she hadn't realized how freaked out he would get over the epidural. He had been out of it for a good two hours and Annie hadn't been able to bring him back. She just really hoped that Troy would get him alert again before she actually gave birth.

"When are we supposed to call Shirley again?" Britta asked.

"When I hit six centimeters. If that doesn't happen soon, though, she'll get here before we have to call because she said she'd stop by as soon as she got the boys fed and settled in with their cartoons to make things easier on Andre," Annie explained, scraping her spoon around the plastic.

She cast a worried glance at Abed. She was really starting to fear that he wouldn't come around before it was time to deliver.

"Jeff."

He ignored her, attention on his phone.

"Jeff," she called his name again, poking him in the arm.

He looked over at her. "What?"

"Can you come around and see if you can get Abed alert again?" she wheedled. "Please?"

Although he made a face at her, he heaved himself out of his chair and circled the bed. She smiled to herself.

Her relationship with Jeff had remained distant for a couple of months after she told her story. However, they had patched everything up over the summer when his half-sister had run away from home and landed on his doorstep. When her mom had asked him to talk to her about her problems because she hadn't had any luck getting through to the girl, Jeff had panicked. He had broken down in the face of the hormonal and angry teenage girl and come to Annie for help, because, as he put it, Britta would probably advocate casual drug use to relax her and Shirley would suggest that she turn to Jesus.

Annie had spent some time with the two of them only to learn that the sixteen year-old was angry because her mom wouldn't sign the consent form to let her marry her boyfriend, who, Annie quickly figured out, she only wanted to marry because he made her feel loved. And, well, that was a problem that Annie could help with since she had spent the majority of her life wanting to be loved. By the time Alyssa went home, she was feeling a little better about herself and the prospect of her future. Plus, Annie had given the girl her phone number just in case she ever needed someone a little older to talk to who wasn't Jeff or her mom. The incident had healed her friendship with Jeff. Abed, who had been pleased with the development, had pointed out that uniting in the face of a crisis was a common method of mending fractured relationships on TV.

"Abed, Annie needs you," Jeff said in his best Winger speech voice. "Sure, it's tough watching her in pain and we know you don't like doctors, but if you make her go through this alone, you'll never forgive yourself. You're supposed to be the rock that she leans on because eventually they're going to kick the rest of us out of here. But you're the baby's dad, so you can stay and help her through this painful process. And at the end of it, you'll have the baby that you've been talking about nonstop for the last eight months until we all missed the days when everything you said centered around TV and movies."

Annie snickered about that. Abed had grown quite obsessed with preparing for the baby. She had known that he was a planner, but she still didn't think that they needed to decide on what method they were going to use for potty-training or which baby food to try first yet. She was thrilled that he was so focused on being a good dad, but she did hope that he would mellow out once the baby was home and they hadn't killed it within the first couple of days.

"If you don't wake up and tape your baby's birth, then I will," Troy announced when Abed didn't respond to Jeff's speech. "And that means I'll see Annie's no-no parts."

"No."

The sound of Abed's voice made Annie smile. Apparently he wasn't anymore thrilled with that idea than any other guy would be. Not that Annie would have let Troy tape her anyway. She wasn't all that happy with Abed taping the birth, partly because she didn't want to be on camera but mostly because she wanted him holding her hand when the time arrived.

ooooo

_Saturday, November 16, 2013, 10:23 AM_

Abed was moving around the room with his camera focused on Annie, who was holding Britta's hand since her epidural was either wearing off or her contractions had simply gotten much, much worse. After she came out of yet another contraction, she glared at her boyfriend.

"Why must you tape me again?" she asked, letting go of Britta's hand.

"Anyone want to trade me spots?" Annie heard her ask as she rubbed her hand with a pained grimace.

"No," Jeff responded, not taking his eyes off his phone.

Ignoring the other two, Abed answered, "It is a common practice to take film of a child's birth."

"Don't worry, Annie. You're good on film," Shirley, who had arrived an hour ago, said in a gentle tone.

Annie groaned when she remembered watching Abed's movie with the group. It had been horribly embarrassing watching herself on screen and listening to the comments of her friends. The dance scene and the sex scene were by far the worst parts though, since both Pierce and Jeff had been pretty free with the inappropriate comments. At least Abed had received an A, which had made her humiliation worth it.

"I was acting then," she pointed out. "And I wasn't in a hospital gown with no makeup and my hair piled on top of my head, sweating and groaning in pain as I try to push a tiny human out of me."

Another wave of pain washed over her, and she grabbed blindly for Britta's hand. Panting, she prayed for the pain to end quickly. Once it finally did, she let go of Britta.

"Seriously," Britta said loudly. "It's someone else's turn to hold her hand through her contractions. I _need _my hand and she's going to break it if no one switches me places."

"Well you just make it sound so appealing," Jeff snarked. "Alyssa wants a picture after you have the baby."

"I'll do it," Troy announced, talking over Jeff.

While Britta and Troy traded places, Annie scowled at Jeff.

"Are you texting her? Isn't she supposed to be at work right now?"

He nodded. "She's in the drive-through. I told her I'd keep her updated on how you're doing."

"I don't care. Tell her to do her job and to text you on break," Annie commanded. "She'll get in trouble if they catch her on her phone while she's clocked in."

Jeff grimaced. "You sound like such a mom already," he grumbled. "Fine. But I'm only listening to you because you have that scary pregnant woman in labor strength going on right now."

She grinned but it turned into a whimper as another contraction started. Reaching over, she took Troy's hand and squeezed.

"Ow! Annie! Ow, ow, ow!" he cried, trying to wrench his hand from hers.

As the pain ended, she let go of him.

"I'm so sorry!" she apologized. "I'm so very sorry, Troy!"

"It's okay," he said, tears in his eye. "But I don't think I can hold your hand."

While he tried to pass the position off to someone else, Annie's doctor and a nurse entered the room.

"How are we doing, Annie?" Dr. Greenwell asked.

She scowled. "I'm having a baby and my epidural has worn off. How do you think I'm doing?"

"Annie!" Shirley chastised.

"It's okay," the nurse, Tricia, said easily. "We work with Annie; we know that she's normally much more pleasant."

Annie would growl at Tricia, but she was actually one of Annie's favorite people at the hospital. Three months ago Annie was hired into a reception position down in the emergency room. She was responsible for checking in the patients that came in on their own. It was a fairly decent position that made use of her organizational skills and allowed her to socialize with the people in the hospital. Plus, it paid well, better than Shirley's sandwich shop had, and that was a very good thing given that Troy and Britta had moved out of apartment 303 to get their own place and make room for the baby.

"Everyone out," the doctor instructed. "I have to check how far along Annie is."

While everyone else walked out, Abed moved closer to the doctor.

"Abed," Annie complained. "Do not tape this part."

"It's important documentation of your progress," he stated emotionlessly.

Sighing in frustration, Annie quieted down and let the doctor do her job while Abed filmed. He had decided months ago that he was going to film the baby's birth, and she had agreed to let him. She hadn't realized how annoying it would be to have him focused on the camera when she wanted to hold his hand, not Britta's, not Troy's. She wanted to hold Abed's in this painful, scary situation. However, filming was part of who he was and he didn't get to do it as often now that he was learning how to manage his dad's restaurant, so she didn't want to say anything.

"Well, it's no wonder that your pain has spiked. You're seven centimeters, Annie. That means you're moving into the last labor stage. If everything proceeds smoothly, you'll be holding your baby soon," Dr. Greenwell explained, lowering the cover and stepping back. "I'll be back every few minutes to check on your progress. If you feel the urge to push, fight it and use your call button. This is very important, Annie: no pushing before I tell you to. If you ignore this instruction, you could accidentally complicate the delivery."

With those final instructions, Dr. Greenwell and Tricia left the room. Slightly frightened, Annie made sure that she could easily reach the call button. The thought of delivery was scary enough without complications.

"Look who decided to join us."

At the sound of Britta's strained voice, Annie looked over to the door and her returning friends. The blonde's face was tense and she was clearly gritting her teeth. That meant only one thing.

Abed's father had arrived.

Gubi Nadir had been surprisingly accepting of Annie in spite of the fact that she was both Jewish and American. She genuinely liked the man, and it was nice to have a parental figure in her life again other than just Pierce. In fact, outside of religion, there was only one point that they disagreed on.

Marriage.

Gubi had been pushing for her and Abed to get married since they told him about the baby. While Abed hadn't said anything to him in response, Annie had flatly refused to get married simply because she was pregnant. She had made it obvious that she would only marry Abed in the future if he truly wanted her for more than the baby. She had been especially clear that she wouldn't accept any proposals during the pregnancy. That didn't stop Gubi from pushing, and it didn't help that he had found a co-conspirator in Shirley, who was hoping for the same thing.

The truth was, Annie now knew that she did want to marry Abed. Maybe they had only officially been together since February, but they were already past the one-year anniversary of their first real kiss. Either way, time didn't matter to Annie. Even with their occasional miscommunications, she knew that she'd never be as happy with anyone else. She hadn't mentioned it to Abed, though, because she didn't want to feel like she had trapped him into marriage.

"Hello, Gubi," she greeted the older man when he stepped around Jeff.

"How are you doing, Annie?" he asked in his accented voice.

She grimaced. "Having a baby, so you know, lots of pain."

"You should go hold her hand," Britta suggested innocently.

Annie rolled her eyes. Gubi and Britta still did not like each other. She thought that he was chauvinistic since he kept advocating for Annie and Abed's marriage, and he thought that she had loose morals since she never intended to get married. They clashed on so many levels that it didn't surprise Annie at all that they fought any time they were within five feet of each other.

"Not today, you two!" Annie admonished seconds before the worst contraction yet gripped her.

ooooo

_Saturday, November 16, 2013, 10:47 AM_

Annie felt the distinct urge to push when the contraction hit. Following her doctor's instructions, she immediately hit the call button. After a few minutes, confirmation that Annie was dilated ten centimeters, and a flurry of activity to clear the room and prep for delivery, only Annie, Abed, Dr. Greenwell, and a couple of nurses that Annie was familiar with from work were left. As the doctor positioned herself between Annie's legs, Abed took up a position at the doctor's shoulder, aiming his camera at Annie's bared lower half.

"Okay, Annie, I want you to push on the next contraction," Dr. Greenwell instructed.

Annie scowled. "No, I don't think so."

"I know it's scary, Annie, and I know you're in a lot of pain, but you're so close to holding your baby," the other woman reassured her. "I just need you to push."

"No," Annie repeated stubbornly.

When the next contraction wracked her, she had the incredibly strong urge to push, but she held strong and fought against it.

"Annie, you need to push," the doctor repeated sternly. "Your baby is ready to come out. If you don't push, you could complicate things."

"I can't do this alone," Annie broke down, glancing over Dr. Greenwell at Abed who was focused on his camera. "I need you to hold my hand, Abed."

He lowered the camera and met her gaze. "But I need to document the birth. That's what they do in movies and on TV."

Annie's response was postponed by another contraction. Once it finished, she sent him her best murderous look. Normally she would use the Disney eyes, but her patience was pretty non-existent by this point.

"Abed Nadir, you put that freaking camera down and get over here and hold my hand while I deliver your child, or I swear to God that we will be grandparents before you have sex again," she threatened.

When he moved to the head of the bed and set the camera down in the chair that he had earlier gone catatonic in, Annie smiled briefly.

He clasped her hand as a wave of pain rippled through her, and Annie finally focused on pushing.

ooooo

_Saturday, November 16, 2013, 11:56 AM_

"She's so cute, you two," Britta cooed, staring down at the baby in Annie's arms. "And she has so much hair."

Annie smiled and looked down at the tiny girl in her arms. She was so perfect. She had ten toes, ten fingers, and a surprising mop of silky black hair. Annie hoped that meant that she had inherited her daddy's hair. Her skin was quite pink from the birthing process, but Dr. Greenwell had assured Annie that would go away and she would settle into her eventual skin color. Her eyes were big and blue, and she was staring up quietly, as if she was already on her best behavior to meet her very extended family.

"Have you picked a name yet?" Shirley asked, reaching out to stroke the baby's hair with one finger.

"Yeah," Troy chipped in. "You need to pick a really good name for her. Something strong like Rogue or Batgirl."

"Okay. If we ever have kids, not that I'm saying that will _ever _happen, but if it somehow does, you will not be naming them," Britta declared, her nose wrinkled at his choice in names.

"I think we should name her Emma," Abed stated.

Annie sighed. "We already discussed this, Abed. We are not Ross and Rachel."

He tilted his head in consideration, although his eyes were still fixed on their daughter as they had been from the first time he held her.

"You're right," he finally agreed. "We're more like Chandler and Monica, so we should name her Erica."

"Abed, I think what Annie's trying to say is that this is real life and that is your daughter. You should pick a name that means something to the two of you," Jeff finally spoke up, eyeing the baby cautiously as if he expected her to attack if he took his eyes off of her for a second.

"You should pick a nice Islamic name," Gubi volunteered his opinion. "That would help her feel connected to her heritage."

Britta scoffed. "That's only one half of her heritage. Her other half is Jewish. Maybe they should pick a classic Jewish name."

"They should pick a normal American name," Pierce contributed rather racistly. "One that won't get her made fun of for being a terrorist or a Jew."

"Pierce!" the study group yelled as Gubi stared at the other man in open disbelief.

"This is the closest thing to a dad you have, Annie?" he questioned, his tone baffled. "And you're going to let him near the baby?"

"He gets a little less racist every year," she defended.

Since Pierce had covered all of her medical bills without asking for anything in return, Annie felt the need to protect him. She knew that their pseudo father-daughter relationship seemed strange to most people, but Pierce had been unfailingly supportive of her when her own parents still hadn't contacted her. Not that she had tried to contact them, either.

"I have a half-black brother, black friends, and Abed as a friend, too," Pierce pointed out, his tone a little offended. "I'm learning."

"We've gotten way off topic," Shirley pointed out. "What names have you considered?"

Annie and Abed had decided to be surprised by the baby's sex. In doing so, they had considered several different names for both genders. However, none of the names seemed right now that she was holding the baby in her arms.

"Sarah," Abed announced suddenly.

Annie smiled as she looked up and met his eyes. Sarah. The name of her character in his movie. If she hadn't helped him film it, they may never have fallen in love nor had a baby. They probably would have just continued on as good friends, her ending up with Jeff and Abed still with Robin. She really liked the idea of naming their daughter after one of the characters that had brought them together.

"Sarah," she agreed. "Sarah Rose."

Abed nodded. "Sarah Rose Edison."

"Sarah Rose Nadir," she corrected him softly. "I want her to have your last name."

She saw the love shining in his eyes with that declaration.

"It's a lovely name," Shirley declared to a round of nods.

Troy shifted closer to the bed, pushing Britta to the side. His movement grabbed Annie's attention, and she grinned when she saw his anxious expression. She was pretty sure she knew exactly what he wanted.

"Yes, Troy?" she asked, her tired tone laced with amusement.

"Can I hold my niece now?" he burst out eagerly.

Laughing outright, Annie nodded and shifted the baby into his waiting arms.

ooooo

_Saturday, November 16, 2013, 2:34 PM_

Abed stared down at the baby he was holding. It wasn't logical. She was so tiny; she shouldn't inspire more fear in him than all of the Blorgons that Inspector Spacetime ever fought combined. However, Abed suspected that even Batman would fear her.

The reason, he decided as he walked over to the window, was that she was helpless. All superheroes protected the weak, but they rarely had to interact with them. Babies were outside of their normal scope of existence.

Also illogical was the fact that Abed would already give his life for Sarah's. He was able to identify that as a symptom of love. But that didn't make sense because he didn't know Sarah, so how could he already love her? He was highly confused, even more so than emotions usually left him. He had only just met her, but he loved her.

Annie kept telling him that he would be a good dad, but he still wasn't sure. He didn't have experience with babies; the closest he had ever come to one was Ben and Shirley had never let him babysit. The corners of his mouth turned down ever so slightly. Sarah couldn't even talk. How was he supposed to interact with her if all he could rely on were his facial expressions? He didn't possess variety in those. Remembering that Annie used to ask him to talk to her stomach when Sarah was kicking because she said it calmed the baby down, he wondered if the sound of his voice was more important than his words, even lacking inflection.

Sarah was staring up at him with dark blue eyes, her face scrunched a little and Abed worried that she was going to cry. If she cried, that would wake up Annie who had finally fallen asleep once everyone left. He didn't want her disturbed because he knew that she was really tired. Having a baby had been a lot of work for her; Hollywood made it seem easier than it was. Lost, Abed just started talking.

"The best associate that Inspector Spacetime ever had was Constable Reggie. Your mom will tell you that Geneva was the best, but she's only saying that because that's who she plays in the simulations. Batman is a self-made superhero. He doesn't have superpowers, so he has to work hard to defeat the bad guys. You can learn a lot of good things from him."

He watched as Sarah's eyelids started to lower. Was she going to sleep?

"The weirdest season finale on Friends was season eight. In it, Rachel gave birth to Ross's baby. Through a series of unrealistic events, the episode ended with Rachel accepting an accidental proposal from Joey. Something like that wouldn't normally happen in real life. I left your mom's engagement ring at home just in case, though. I didn't want Jeff accidentally proposing," he explained, lowering his voice to a whisper as his daughter's eyes stayed closed.

Abed wasn't sure how to propose to Annie. She had been open about the fact that she didn't want to get married simply because of the baby. He didn't know how to make her believe that when he proposed, it was because he wanted to be with her. He had run the scenarios several times since he bought the ring, but he still hadn't come up with anything. Not even a grand gesture taken from a movie would work because he knew that Annie would be suspicious about his motivations.

Abed still wasn't good with expressing emotion, even so many months after telling her he loved her. He didn't think that Annie would think it was very romantic if he told her that she was the part of his routine that he would miss the most, the part that he would never voluntarily change. That was a far cry from the romance of Chandler's proposal to Monica. He was starting to wonder if he should ask Troy for help. He would probably know how to ask Annie in a way that would make her feel loved.

Turning away from the window, Abed carried Sarah to the portable bassinet next to Annie's bed. After he placed her inside, he looked at Annie, who was fast asleep on the edge of the bed. The sight of her reinforced his determination to marry her. He had figured out how to win her over by acting like a hero, after all. He just needed to run through all of the proposal scenarios again. He had to have missed something the first time around. Hesitating momentarily because he wasn't sure it was socially acceptable, he climbed into the open space next to her in the bed. After carefully wrapping his arms around her, he brushed his lips across her forehead.

He drifted to sleep with a very rare smile on his face.


End file.
